A Delayed Reaction
by Rebekahek623
Summary: Lily loves me, she's loved me since the day we met. She's just having a delayed reaction to the feeling, a REALLY delayed reaction...Stop Laughing Sirius! RE-WRITE TO MAKE IT BETTER IN PROGRESS! Up to Chapter 4
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all. I am re-writing A Delayed Reaction...to make it suckless :) Feel free to re-read it as I'm posting, but it may not make complete sense until I finish re-writing the whole story. Reviews on the new Chapters would be loved :D love and peace, BEK**

"Come on, Evans. You know you can't resist me!" 16-year-old James Potter walked quickly after Lily Evans down the hall, shoving his way between a line of first year girls, trying to ask her out…_again_.

"I can resist you, Potter, even if I'm the only girl in the school who is able to do so. So do me a favor and bug-off," Lily snapped back.

"Perhaps we should listen to the girl for once and just leave her alone." Peter Pettigrew glanced nervously around the corridor, nearly running into a fifth year.

"Ahh, but that would be so un-James like." Sirius Black let out a bark-like laugh, shook his hair out of his eyes, and winked at a seventh year Ravenclaw.

"Well, maybe he'd be a bit better for it!" Samantha Sercose, one of Lily's best friends, snapped at Sirius. "The only good thing about James is that awesome pass he made at practice yesterday." Sam, playing chaser for Gryffindor, was equally, if not more, obsessed with Quidditch than the boys.

"But seriously, let's break it up. Filch would love to find a reason to stick all of us in detention," Elizabeth Micrada interjected, calmly twisting a strand of her long blonde hair with one hand, carrying a muggle notebook in the other. The rest of the group groaned in unison as they thought of the most recent plea Filch had made to Professor Dumbledore for 'alternative detention tactics.'

"Honestly, if he's still here, I'm not sending my children here. I just don't like the way he looks me over. " James shuddered.

"Of course, he has a crush on you too, doesn't he, Potter?" Lily added softly, and Sam laughed out loud.

They exited through the large doors. It was a beautiful Saturday in a warm October and they couldn't think of anything they'd rather do than be outside.

"To the pitch!" James called, charging toward the large stadium. The girls sighed and headed away from the group of students towards a tree near the lake.

"Honestly!" Lily started the second they sat down under the tree. "He's asked me out every Saturday since the beginning of fourth year, and I haven't even hinted that I might say yes. Why won't he just give up?" She ranted as she let her dark red hair out of the braid she had put it in that morning. "I mean, how can I change my mind when he's being as rude as ever to Snivel…I mean Snape?"

"Well, he's persistent, and that's something." Sam lay down onto the ground and stared up through the tree branches, "Don't you agree, Beth?"

"Well, I…Yeah I guess." Beth sighed. She had opened her notebook and was making notes in it with a muggle pen. She wanted to be a writer, and in order to write realistic things, she took notes on the world around her for future reference.

"Okay, I know you don't want to hear it, but you are missing out on a great dating opportunity." Sam sat back up looking Lily in the eye. "Lils, Potter is the single hottest and most popular guy in school. The only one who comes close is Black, his thick black hair, his laughing gray eyes."

"Potter's eyes are hazel."

Sam rolled her eyes at Lily. "I was talking about Black. If he asked me out, I'd be on him in a second. You know, rumor has it that Black and Potter are wonderful kissers." Sam sighed, falling back onto the ground with a soft thump.

"Yeah, well, I don't date guys merely to snog them, like somebody we know." Lily laughed.

"But you must admit, he is an awesome Quidditch player," Beth, seeker for the Gryffindor team, interjected.

"Well, yeah, he does look pretty cool flying around up there." Lily smiled, glancing towards the pitch. "What do you think of the 'big, bad marauders', Beth?"

"Well…they're alright, I suppose…some are better than others, I guess," Beth muttered, turning slightly pink.

"Oh Lil, you know that Beth has the hots for Remus Lupin," Sam joked as Beth's face just grew redder.

"Well…I…you…Urg!" Beth stuttered, "Well, at least Remus is a prefect, he has some responsibility, unlike the rest of them."

"Peter's fairly responsible, but I don't think it's for lack of trying. I'm not sure the boy could think of a way to get in trouble if he had a dungbomb in his hand and was standing in front of Filch." Sam sighed.

"He's not the brightest bulb in the box." Beth nodded softly.

"He's nice enough, if you sit and talk to him on a good topic, but he usually just keeps telling me that James wants to date me." Lily shuddered.

"Oh, come on you guys." Beth snapped her notebook quickly shut, and lifted herself to her feet. "I'm heading back to the common room. We only left to escape the boys and we all have work that we should be doing."

"Yeah, okay." Sam sighed as she used the tree they were leaning on to pull herself up, and then dusted off the back of her robes.

"Coming Lily?" she asked, since Lily hadn't moved at all.

"Uh, Yeah." Lily slowly tore her eyes away from the figures darting above the Quidditch pitch and followed her friends into the castle.

-+-

James turned his broom away from the hoops where he had just scored past Sirius again. He looked down toward the tree where the girls had been sitting. Seeing they weren't there, he quickly scanned the ground and saw Lily's bright red hair bobbing along as she entered the building. James flew back down to where Remus was sitting in the stands. The full moon was in a few days, and Remus was beginning to show it.

"Hey Prongs. Why'd you stop flying?"

"I wanted to talk and Sirius isn't serious enough." Both teens ignored the joke.

"Fire away, but let me guess first."

"Okay."

"Lily, Lily, and a bit more about Lily," Remus replied, without even a hint of a joke in his voice.

"What about Lily?" Sirius asked, coming down to join them, "and where'd Peter go?"

"Peter left to get help from McGonagall on his essay, and James was about to talk about something important."

Sirius sat down and turned to James. "Let's hear it, mate."

"Moony was right. Lily, Lily and Lily. Am I really such a horrible person that she can't stand to sit in the common room with me?" James spoke quietly, almost to himself.

"Of course not, mate, but I have a word of advice for you." James looked towards Remus hopefully, "Listen to what Lily says. You know better than I do that she's a smart girl. What she thinks has to have some credit." When Remus had finished, Sirius snorted.

"Honestly, I don't see why you bother. Lily doesn't like you, so move on, there are hotter girls swooning at your feet as it is." Sirius leaned back and rested his feet on the seat in front of him. Remus rolled his eyes, and James just laughed.

"Whatever you say, Padfoot, but soon you'll find that you're feeling more than just lust for a girl, and you'll be singing a different tune." James continued to laugh.

Remus shook his head at his friends. "Just wait until you're in love, Sirius."

"And you're all knowing, Moony? Who are you in love with?"

"No one," Remus smiled, "yet."

"Elizabeth Micrada," James and Sirius called in a sing-song voice, and Remus just rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Prongs. Enough of all this silly love talk; you still need to work on your scoring techniques. You can barely get it past me." Sirius hopped back on his broom.

"Oh please! You've never blocked one of my shots." And with these words, the two boys flew to resume their game, leaving their werewolf friend to reflect.

-+-

When Lily and company had returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, they found several kids crowded around the fireplace. "Oh, here she is. Lily, come over here please," a seventh year called.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Weasley." Lily smiled, recognizing the head in the fire.

"Lily, would you mind watching the boys for a little while today? Molly needs a day to herself, and I just can't get off work."

"Oh, it's not a problem, when will they be getting here?"

"Dumbledore and I have arranged a portkey for them to arrive in his office about three o'clock, is that okay?"

"That's fine." She checked her watch; it was one on the dot. "Just enough time to get my potions essay done." She smiled.

"Thank you so much, we'll work out your payment later." Mr. Weasley's head disappeared from the fire with a small pop. Lily sat down at the table where Beth and Sam had already started working.

"I don't see how you do it." Sam complained from behind her muggle studies book. "You are taking more classes than Beth and I am, still managed to get Outstanding in all you O.W.L.S., and you baby-sit those boys almost every other weekend, I just don't see how you do it."

Lily smiled modestly, "I don't know either." She buried herself into her potions book and prepared to start her essay.

Beth's Notebook

_Sam, Lily and I are talking about the Marauders. Sam is talking about her interest in Black's looks. I think there is more to that thought process than she's letting on; she's asked out every guy she's ever thought was hot, except for him…Note: watch that relationship. Lily is complaining about Potter again. I think I'm going to talk to Remus and see what I can do to help poor James out with Lily. They would go great together; I just think I'm one of the few who see it._


	2. Chapter 2

About two hours after Lily and her friends had headed inside, James and his friends were finally trudging in from the pitch. They were almost to the portrait hole when a voice stopped James in his tracks.

"James! James! Wait for me!"

James turned to see a young boy running after him. "Charlie, My man." James smiled, placing his broom on the floor and scooping the almost 4 year-old boy into his arms. "How is the best little seeker in the world?"

"Mummy took away my broom."

"Why?"

"Mummy says I can't fly in the house."

"I would assume so," Lily said, finally catching up to Charlie and James.

"Hiya Bill, Percy." James smiled at the boy walking next to Lily and the boy in her arms. Bill nodded in greeting, while Percy cooed excitedly.

"Come on now, boys, into the common room," Lily instructed. James picked up his broom and followed them in. Since it was such a beautiful day, the common room was deserted save for the Marauders and Lily's friends. "What do you want to do today?" Lily asked the boys. "How about I read you a story?" Percy, pulling his thumb from his mouth, clapped, but Bill rolled his eyes and Charlie yawned.

"Boooooring." He exclaimed, "Let's play a game, like house or something."

"House is a girly game," Bill informed Charlie.

"Not necessarily." Remus interjected, "we can make it a lot of fun."

"How so?"

"By switching roles. Bill, tell Charlie what you think makes the perfect brother. Charlie, you tell Bill what you think. Now who are going to be your parents?"

"James! James! James is the Daddy!" Charlie called out happily.

"Okay, then Bill gets to pick the mum." Remus turned to the older boy.

"Lily, would you mind being the mum?" Bill asked, slightly blushing.

"Umm…" Lily glanced at James warily, "I don't know."

"Oh come on Lily, you are the babysitter after all." Sam smiled over her textbook.

"Geez, Evans, scared to play a little game with Potter," Sirius teased from his table.

"Oh, fine, I'll be the mother." Lily sighed, handing Percy to Beth who stood to take him.

"Okay, Lily, describe the perfect husband to James, and James, the perfect wife to Lily."

About 20 minutes later, the game began. Lily sat on a couch in front of the fire, bouncing an oddly quiet Charlie on her knee, while Bill jumped up and down on the couch next to them, rattling off a story.

"And then he dove from the sky," Bill leapt off the couch, "And swerved past the other team, then wound up and SCORED!" Bill clapped his hands wildly and cheered, then started laughing, falling into one of the chairs near him.

"I'm home!" James marched boldly into the area that his 'family' was sitting. "How is my darling wife?" James scooped down and kissed Lily lightly on the cheek. Lily glared at him, but otherwise didn't acknowledge it.

"Same as usual. Charlie didn't say a thing and Bill wouldn't shut up."

"Well, here, you watched them all day. I'll play with them while you have a little relaxing time." James offered, scooping Charlie from Lily's knee.

"No, I'm fine..." Lily started, but James cut her off, whispering in her ear.

"I know you don't want to play with me. This way you can be doing things you'd rather be doing on the pretense of having 'you time.'" James turned, placing Charlie on the ground and sitting down in front of him. "Now, Sir William, Sir Charles, what do my royal boys want to do today?" Lily stared at James. She was pretty sure he wasn't acting, but she would've thought he would do all he could to keep her playing, and perhaps try to steal another kiss. But no, he was being…nice! Lily blinked and refocused her eyes on James, who was now teaching the boys a patty cake game. Lily smiled, took Percy back from Beth, and began to read him a story.

About an hour later, Lily had lulled Percy to sleep in the crib Dumbledore had provided for him. She turned back to her 'family'. Bill was lying on the couch, pretending to be asleep, snoring loudly. James, pretending to rock Charlie to sleep, was swinging him in large, wild swings, singing 'Rock-a-bye Baby' loudly and off key. On the final note, James swung Charlie onto the couch opposite of Bill, near Lily. Lily promptly sat lightly on Charlie's legs. "You know, we really should invest in a new couch," Lily smiled, "This one is getting rather lumpy."

"Yes and we should also put some bells on those boys. We seem to have lost one again." James smiled, sitting next to Lily, hovering right above Charlie's stomach as not to hurt him.

"I'm right here! Get off me!" Charlie giggled.

"Oh my dear! There you are!" Lily hopped off Charlie immediately and began mollycoddling him.

"Stop it; you're acting just like Mummy!" Charlie continued to laugh. Then he let out a large, genuine yawn.

"Come on guys, dinner!" Sam smiled, hopping away from the table holding her homework.

"You guys take Bill; I'll stay here so Charlie can get some rest." Lily smiled

"I'm not t-i-i-rrred." Charlie tried to stifle a yawn.

"That's what I thought." Sam took one of Bill's hands, and Beth took the other. They swung the boy between them as they left. Sirius grabbed Peter's hand and swung it eagerly, mimicking the girls.

"Coming, Prongs?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, I've just got to check something, don't wait up." James turned and bolted up the stairs. Remus shrugged and headed out the door. Lily transformed a pillow into a blanket for Charlie, and set him down on the couch. When she thought he had finally fallen asleep, she sat down on the couch opposite of him. Then she heard a voice talking from the staircases.

"You know, you should go get some food, I'll stay and watch the sleeping wonders." James smiled.

"No, no, I'm the babysitter, I'll watch the children."

"Well, at least let me watch them while you grab some food to eat up here. I mean, it's the least I can do for my lovely wife." James smirked.

"I'm not your wife, but I'll take you up on the offer. I'll be back in five minutes tops." Lily stood and quickly darted out the portrait hole. James sighed after her, and then lay down on the couch she had just left.

"You really like her don't you." A small voice scared James, who then fell off the couch. He turned to see Charlie smiling at him from under his blanket.

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, you are really cool…I think she'll like you back soon." Charlie smiled the most innocent of smiles.

James turned and looked back at the portrait hole. "I wish, little man, I wish."

Beth's Notebook

_Little Percy Weasley is so cute! I got to watch him while James and Lily played with Bill and Charlie. That was an interesting game of house, I'll tell you. Not only did James describe Lily as his perfect wife, he figured a way to let Lily do what she wanted to instead of having to play with him. I was shocked, maybe he's maturing. The question is, will Lily realize that?_


	3. Chapter 3

"You'll never guess what I just did." Sirius skipped happily into the common room.

"You finally ate all the food in the kitchen," Remus guessed without looking up from his book.

"Nope."

"You finally learned how to tie your shoes?" James smiled.

"Still no."

"You managed to make-out with a girl without getting caught?" Peter asked.

"Aw, Wormtail, it's no fun if you guess it." Sirius slumped into his chair.

"Now that Sirius has had his stupid moment of the day, you all do remember what today is, yes?" Remus glanced over the top of his book. It was November 6th, and the full moon was rising that night.

"Of course, we remember. We've only been planning this for the past month." Sirius joined them at the table smiling. "And I really don't see how I've had my stupid moment of the day."

"He has a point. He hasn't done anything stupid by Sirius standards."

"Aww, poor Remy is simply distracted by the full moon, can you blame him?" Peter whispered under his breath.

"This is true, we should get little Remy a present to distract him from his incoming change, how about a nice new book?" James asked in a baby voice.

"Or a nice little girl to snog?" Sirius suggested.

"Or perhaps all little Remy needs is a nice nappy-poo?" Peter giggled.

"My name is Remus," Remus said annoyed.

"Aww, but your mum told us to take care of her little Remy Dear, we're just following directions." Sirius smirked.

"Remy Dear, it's okay, don't get all worked up, there is no need to stress, we're here to watch you," James added.

Remus snapped his book shut and rose from the table. "My name is Remus." He repeated, and he left the common room quickly heading for the one place he knew the other Marauder's wouldn't follow him; the Library.

­-+-

"…and done!" Sam threw her quill down onto her finished essay. She glanced up toward Lily and Beth, both of which had finished their essays 20 minutes earlier. "Well come on, let's get out of this torture house full of books."

Lily glared at her, "The library is quite nice if you would just give it a chance."

"Of course it is, Miss 'the-sorting-hat-begged-me-to-go-to-Ravenclaw-but-I-didn't-want-to,'" Sam smirked.

"Hey, I like the library too, and the Sorting Hat would've died laughing if I had asked to be put in Ravenclaw." Beth grinned over her notebook.

"Yeah, well, we've always known that you're odd, Beth," Lily smiled.

"Hey guys, can I sit with you?" Remus walked over to them.

"Yeah, as long as you're not bringing unwanted visitors." Lily looked around suspiciously.

"No, the stupider Marauders are still in the common room." Remus looked slightly put-out.

"Remus Lupin, calling someone stupid! Strike me down!" Sam said dramatically.

"Why are you so grumpy, Remus?"

"My name is not Remy," he muttered. All three girls chuckled a bit.

"Want me to hex them?" Sam asked, "I'll do it too; I haven't hexed anyone in a good long time."

"You won't hex anyone. They may be prats, but they don't need to be hexed," Lily lectured.

"Aw, but I wanted to hex the big bad marauders," Sam pouted jokingly.

"She can hex me, if you'll go out with me," a soft voice whispered behind Lily.

"I thought you said the stupider marauders were still in the common room." Lily ignored James's request.

"Aw, Evans, you're no fun. Anyway, Moony, I just came to tell you it's time. Come on."

Remus glared slightly at James.

"You don't have to go you know; you can stay with us," Beth informed Remus.

"Actually, I do have to go. My mother's been sick so Professor Dumbledore arranged for me to take a Portkey to visit her for the next few days."

"Oh, I'm sorry, wish her well for us." Lily looked sadly at Remus.

"I will, see you all in a few days' time." He sighed. "Let's go, Prongs."

Lily looked toward her two friends. "Shame that his mother is sick. She does to seem to be sick often, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, but she hadn't been sick all year, as far as I've seen," Sam added.

"True, but Remus himself has been sick this year, hasn't he? Maybe their family is just prone to disease." Lily shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's something like that," Beth mumbled softly. "Well, come on, we should head back to the common room."

-+-

Beth's Notebook

_Remus went to transform again. I wonder where he transforms. I also wonder how stupid the Marauders must be. I can understand my friends not figuring it out, I was the one who obsessed over him in 3rd year, so I knew more about him then they cared to know. But the Marauders call themselves his best friends. But they do call him Moony, so does that mean they know? And if he's Moony, why are they Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs? What are they up to?_

-+-

Lily sighed, glancing from her paper back towards Professor Binns. He was rambling on and on. Sometimes she wondered if he was glad he died so that he no longer had to stop for breaths during his lecture. She turned back to her notes only to have them interrupted by a small piece of parchment falling over her shoulder. Glancing towards Professor Binns once more, she opened the page and read quietly.

'_Lily,_

_Please don't ignore this; I just want to talk to you._

_-JP'_

Lily scribbled back, _'I am trying to learn about the history of magic, hence I am in this class. –Evans'_

Tossing the note lightly over her shoulder, she returned to her note taking, trying to write down as much as she could remember of when she was reading and responding. She was shocked to see the parchment fall back over her shoulder.

'_I understand, but will you please meet me somewhere later tonight, I want to talk to you in private, none of the other Marauders. If you want, you can bring your friends. I can understand why you might not trust me._

_-JP'_

Lily turned around in her chair, looking right at James. He was avoiding her gaze, looking up at Professor Binns. Lily studied him for a few moments, and when he didn't react, she turned back to her own desk and picked up her quill. Her hand hovered above the paper and she bit the corner of her lip. She took a deep breath and lowered her quill to the paper.

'_Okay, I'll meet you. No friends, just us. However, if you make me regret this you will never walk again. Give me a time and place._

_-Evans'_

The parchment went back over her shoulder. She heard a small laugh behind her as James read the note. Silently, it flew back over her shoulder.

'_Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you! Meet me on the Seventh floor in the room across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy at seven o' clock. Don't worry, I like walking. You won't regret this._

_-JP'_

Lily smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 'This is going to be an interesting night,' she thought.


	4. Chapter 4

"Thanks for coming; I know you still are hesitant about me…no that sounds stupid." James turned back on his heel and paced the room again, his hand automatically going back to his hair. He looked at the room around him. A fire was roaring in a fireplace, and a soft red couch sat in front of it. Next to the couch sat a small end table with a piece of folded parchment sitting on it. James made his way over to the paper and noticed Lily headed down the corridor. "Mischief Managed." He wiped the map blank and stuck it in his pocket. He sat on the couch and stared into the fire until he heard the soft creaking of the door being opened.

"James?" Lily stuck her head in the door.

"Come on in." James turned and smiled at Lily, inviting her to sit on the couch. Slowly, she entered the room looking it over. She sat cautiously near the end of the couch.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Lily smiled nervously, tapping her fingers on her knees.

"Well, um, this is hard for me to say, but, uh," James cleared his throat, "I, uh, I need your help." Lily glanced at him, but he was staring into the fire.

"What?"

"I need your help."

"Like how, school work?"

"Um, no, not quite."

"Well, if you want me to help, it would be nice to know how I'm going to help you." Lily's temper was beginning to rise.

"I want to be better."

"Better?"

"Yeah, I, um, I really don't know how to ask."

"Well, give me something to work with here."

"Everything you say about me, it's true. I am stubborn, stuck-up, annoying, irritating, irrational, and a bully. I don't want to be like that anymore." Lily started over at James, her mouth hanging open slightly, but he continued to stare at the fire. "I didn't think you would want to help me, I still don't think you will want to help me, but there's nowhere else to go. Sirius would be more of a hindrance than a help, Peter might die of a heart attack if I ask him for help, Remus has enough going on with his…" James paused, "…mother being sick, and any other girl in school would flounce around me and tell me I'm perfect." James turned to Lily, who was still staring at him with her mouth half-open. "Right, that's what I thought." He said, standing, "Thanks for listening, I'll see you around."

Lily stared after him for a second, and then when he placed his hand on the door knob, Lily called out. "Potter! Potter, wait." Lily stood and crossed the room to where James was standing. "I'll do it."

"Really? You'll help me?" James smiled. Slowly, Lily nodded. James let out the same little laugh of triumph that he had laughed when she agreed to meet him there.

"Oh thanks, Lily, you won't regret it!" Without thinking he pulled her into a hug. Then jumped back almost like he had been burnt. "Sorry," he said sincerely. Lily nodded. "So, when should we meet back for our first rant?" Lily asked. "Does Friday sound good?"

"Yeah, I guess that will do." Lily sighed.

"Great, it's a date!" James smiled as Lily glared at him, "Or not." He shrugged, "Whatever works for you."

Lily rolled her eyes and made her way out the door, "See you Friday, Potter."

-+-

"Oh, for the love of God!" Sam smacked her quill onto her paper. "Why do I bother? Where is Lily? She'll understand all this." Sam gestured wildly to the page in front of her.

"I'm here, I'm here." Lily slipped around a bookcase and settled down at the table Beth and Sam were sitting at in the library.

"Oh thank God, this is pathetic." Beth gestured wildly to Sam with the end of her pen, "I explained potions as simply as physically possible, and she still doesn't get it. I just gave up."

"Here." Lily pulled Sam's textbook near to her, flipped about five pages, and then pushed it back to Sam. Sam scanned the page, her eyes widened, and then she began writing frantically.

"Wrong potion?" Beth asked. Lily nodded and smiled. "Well, that would explain why she didn't understand why we would add unicorn hair. Where were you just now anyway?" Beth asked, turning back to her notebook.

Lily glanced nervously at Beth's notebook. "Um, no where really. Just looking around, you know. I've never noticed some of the rooms in this castle. They really are quite amazing."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get out of this _smuffy_ room." Sam slammed her potions book shut and charged around a bookshelf.

"Sometimes I wonder if she knows that she creates words. Maybe she just thinks _smuffy_ is an actual word." Beth sighed; flipping to the back page of her notebook where she and Lily kept track of Sam's made up words. "So for November, 1976 we have 8 _smuffys_, 9 _hentias_, 16 _noffs_, and 2 _swoas_. Wow, and it's only the 12th."

Lily rolled her eyes and followed Sam out of the library.

-+-

Beth's Notebook

_Lily is not a good liar. She was with James, but I only know this because I talked to Remus. Remus suggested that James try to act more like the person Lily wants him to be. Now, I don't believe in changing yourself for someone, but if James started acting just slightly like Lily wished he would, then I know I would like him more. Hey, what can I say, the boy is a bit stuck up. Anyway, I'll have to see how this works out…maybe Remus and I will be able to get them closer…maybe…who knows._

""


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, where'd you go?" Sirius sat up as James climbed through the portrait hole.

"Fancied a run." James smiled.

"More like fancied a trot, hmm?" Remus asked, shaking his head.

"Yeah, sure."

"So, what's on the agenda for tonight?" Sirius smiled at his friends.

"Transfiguration homework," Peter squeaked from behind a small stack of books.

"I really do want to finish this," Remus commented, holding up his novel.

"Then I guess it's just us, Prongs man," Sirius sighed dramatically, clapping James on the back. James, who hadn't been paying attention, fell forward off the couch.

"What's your problem, Sirius?" James picked himself up off the floor and stormed up to the dormitory.

"Okay, it's just me then." Sirius stuck his hands in his pockets and headed out of the portrait hole.

""

Sam turned the corner quickly. Her goal was to make it up to her dormitory, and then pretend to be a sleep until five minutes after curfew so that Lily couldn't drag her back to the library. However, that was only a goal, and Sam rarely actually met her goals. No, when Sam turned the corner, she found herself stopped as she ran hard into someone's chest and then fell over backwards.

""

"Hey! Watch it!" Sirius rubbed his chest as he blinked into the semi-darkness of the corridor, trying to see whom he had collided with.

"Now I see why you're a great Keeper, quaffles just bounce right off your chest." Sam managed to pull herself to her feet and was collecting her potions work.

"Ahh, Sercose. I suppose I won't hurt you for invading my space, Our back-up Chasers suck." Sirius smiled.

"Umm…thanks?" Sam laughed, "Where are you going anyway, and where are your partners-in-crime?"

"They bailed on me. I think I will probably end up in the kitchens because I always seem to end up in the kitchens, but for now, I'm just wandering. Care to join me?"

"Well, I've got these." She indicated to the rolls of parchment and textbook in her arms.

"Honestly, you _are_ a witch, you know." Sirius shrank the items in Sam's arms until they were small enough to fit in her pocket.

"Oh…well…uh," Sam stuttered.

"Oh, I see." Sirius shrugged, "You don't want to come. You don't have to." Sirius put his hands in his pockets once again and turned to walk away.

"Sirius, wait! Just promise me we won't get into trouble."

"All else fails, you can pull a Lily." Sirius smiled, turning back to Sam.

"Pull a Lily?"

"Yeah, if we see someone coming start yelling nonsense about bullying toe-rags and annoying prats. Tell whoever found us that I stole something from you and then you'll be off the hook." Sirius smiled.

"Won't you get in trouble then?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"So..." Sam asked as they started to walk away, "if you have pulling a Lily, do you having pulling a Sam?"

"Oh, yes." Sirius nodded. "It's when someone sings 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' extremely loudly."

"Hey!" Sam protested, "That was only that one time and YOU are the one who spiked my butterbeer."

""

"Wow, I have my own action phrase. Cool, maybe I should pull a Lily just for them creating the phrase 'pulling a Lily.'" Lily smiled from behind the statue of some witch that she and Beth had slid behind when they saw Sam and Sirius.

"I can't believe my notebook was shut for all this. Did Sirius say, 'I get them all the time' or 'I'm used to detention.'?" Beth was jotting down all she could remember.

"I think it was 'I'm used to it.' Is that what you do in that book, write down our conversations?"

"Sometimes." Beth shrugged.

"When will I get to read your notebook?" Lily asked sweetly.

"When you're on your death bed." Beth smiled, snapping the book shut once more.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Come on; let's head back to the common room."

""

Beth didn't know why she didn't let anyone else read her notebooks. All she knew is that she didn't want anyone reading them. Maybe it was 'cause she wrote exactly what came to mind without censors, maybe it was because she made herself sound like an idiot at times, or maybe because she just let her feelings run wild, but she knew that she wasn't going to let anyone read her notebooks anytime soon. She was sitting on her bed flipping through an old notebook. She was reading one of her first ones from first year. She loved reflecting on the things she wrote when she was younger; they seemed so care free and simple.

_Lily and I just saw the first year Gryffindor boys out of class for the first time. James Potter really stepped on Lily's nerves. First he called her uptight, and then he called her a bookworm. When Lily opened her mouth to retort, Sirius Black tossed a handful of mud into her mouth. Needless to say there was a lot of screaming then. Even I started yelling. Potter and Black have 4 detentions, tonight and the next 3 nights. Cleaning the loos with no magical help. They're both pure-bloods, so this should be good. Hopefully, Lily and I will be able to sneak down and watch._

Beth smiled. She loved the time when her biggest concern was her friends being attacked by flying mud or snow, depending on the season. Now she worried constantly about her grades, Sam's boy-hopping, preventing Lily from over- herself, not even mentioning the issues Beth herself had with boys. She frowned and turned back to her old notebook, the smile beginning to slip back onto her face. 'Ahh,' she thought, 'How great it is to be little again.'

""

"Oh my, this is good." Sam smiled, eating happily. "Why don't we ever get ice cream for deserts at dinner?" Sam smiled to Sirius, who was watching her eat.

"I dunno, but doesn't it make it all the better only to get it every now and then versus every night."

"I suppose so, but you must bring me down here more often. These house-elves are ice cream sundae masters."

"Will do, will do."

""

**Beth's Notebook**

_Okay, It's a walking cliché in Hogwarts right now. Lily is going to start secretly teaching James to be a better person, Sam and Sirius are going on nighttime strolls, and all we need is for Remus to suddenly declare his undying love for me and the corniness will be complete. Ah well, what can you do? If clichés make people happy, then who am I to stop them? I just want to fall out of corny-ville soon._


	6. you stuck a paper wad in Sirius’s ear!

**Okay, I'm feeling a bit better with myself and I'm feeling better about the world around me, so I'm writing…Yay! **

**Anyway, we passed 50 reviews:dances: good for us…**

**Response to Reviews:**

**onewhoisweird324: Ah, My little piece of insanity in a far too sane world. Read on little one!**

**Wishingbutterfly: Thank you…I'm glad to know that some people still feel for people who aren't themselves…**

**girlsrule4ever: Beth is my favourite too. Maybe that's cause she's a bit like me, but mostly like my baby(ten-year-old) sister…family prejudices rule!**

**Also thanks to Hazelocean, Liz, Moony4Moony, Heiress-To-The-Dark-Throne, Raya, (Hazel Maraa), ginny-wannabee, Lady Pyrefly, and MemoriesForgotten for their wonderful reviews.**

**Anyway, Read …Reviews are loved…**

"Let's see, let's see." Lily flipped through the muggle notebook that Beth had given her for Christmas the year before. She paused at a page and cleared her throat. "Wednesday in Transfiguration you stuck a paper wad in Sirius's ear."

"That was provoked!" James retaliated.

"Wednesday, Charms, Continuously ignored instructions, thinking you could do it with out help. Only succeeded in turning entire left arm blue."

James had nothing to say about that one.

"Thursday, lunch, put the end of Beth's ponytail in the jug of Pumpkin juice." Lily looked up from her notebook. "That seemed extremely immature, even for you."

"Just giving you something to write about in that pretty notebook of yours."

"Thursday at dinner, Sirius decided to put green streaks in my hair…"

"Hey! I cannot control Padfoot."

"…when asked to remove streaks, you laughed and said...quote they match your eyes so well, end quote."

"Well they did." James looked innocently offended, as if he couldn't see what her problem was.

Lily snapped her notebook shut and looked at James. "Let's just work on table manners for now." She sighed.

""

"I know something you don't know." Sirius smiled at Sam.

"And I care…why?" Same replied not even looking away from her 'Which Broomstick?' magazine.

"Because it has to do with out Quidditch team."

Sam suddenly sat up straight, giving Sirius her undivided attention. "Yes, Sirius Darling, what is it you know?"

"Thanks to the lovely household of Black, we now have seven brand new Shooting Star eights." Sam started at Sirius, and stared, and stared, and stared. Sirius waved his hand in front of her face. She continued to stare.

"Umm…Sam?" Sirius whispered

"OH MY GOD! I love you!" Sam threw herself at him, enveloping him in an enormous hug. "What are we waiting for? Let's fly!" Sam ran excitedly from the room, dragging Sirius behind her.

""

"No! No! NO!" Lily reached forward and grabbed a fist full of black hair, pulling it away from the practice dinner table. "Bring the food to your face, not your face to the food!" James rolled his eyes, and ate mockingly slow and proper. Lily hit her head against the table.

"Now, now, Lillian." James said, mocking her voice, "It's not proper to bang your head while others are eating." Lily growled in frustration and sat back up.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" She suggested through Gritted teeth.

""

"Oh my, this is heaven, heaven on a broomstick." Sam weaved in and out of the goal posts, smiling madly. Sirius followed in her wake.

"Love the brooms, or what?"

"Love is inadequate," Came Sam's reply, half way down the pitch.

""

Beth sat quietly. She loved Friday nights; it was the only time during the week that she separated from Lily and Sam, and just spent time thinking in the library, writing rough drafts of her eventual story. The silence of the Friday nights were treasured, especially since every Friday for the past three years, Remus Lupin has sat on the opposite side of the table, just soaking in some silence of his own.

""

Peter sighed. He hated Fridays. James and Sirius always had dates of something, and Remus just lounged around in the library. Peter hated the library, so he was left alone. Today he decided he would spend his evening walking down random corridors and mope. He turned down one oddly dark corridor when he saw a dark figure hovering at the other end.

"Wh-whose there?" He asked, pulling out his wand.

"Pettigrew? Is that you?" The Sly voice of Severus Snape slid down the corridor.

"Snape. James doesn't like you that much." Peter commented.

"Just because he doesn't, that doesn't mean you don't." Snape smiled, "Come on, There's a little party downstairs, and I believe we have a load of Firewhiskey. It'll be fun."

Peter smiled. He had never been invited to a party before, and Snape was right; just because James felt one way doesn't mean Peter had to as well. "Alright, let's go."

""

Every week he did this. Friday night from 6:30 to 9:00 pm without fail, Remus sat silently across from Beth Micrada. He watched her write, and admired her ability. He watched her smile and write hurriedly when an idea popped into her head. He watched her close her eyes and turn her face to the ceiling in search for the write word. He watched her scribble violently when she didn't like something she had written. He did not know for certain what drew him to sitting there week after week, but he had done it every Friday since he was thirteen, and wasn't about to stop anytime soon.

""

"Isn't fair you know." Peter slurred slightly. He never did hold alcohol well. "I means, I do mosts of the dirty work, and they get aaaaalllll the credit. Moony doesn't do anything at all. He just informs us on how many rules we're breaking, rools his eyes, and goes along his merry way."

"That's a shame." Severus Snape couldn't have cared less, but he had orders, "Honestly, you should get more respect.

"I should, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, and I know this group."

"Group?"

"Yeah, a group that if you join, you'll get all the respect you deserve, and more."

"Really?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"Hmm, all the respect I deserve. Sounds nice." Peter sighed heavily, "Tell me more about this group."

**Sorry, this is mostly filler and kind of a push time along chapter.**

**Reviews would be loved!**

**Bekah**

**P.S. Not betaed...sorry times 2 **


	7. S also stands for sports

**Hey, it's a rather quick update this time…Smile and be happy!**

**THANK YOU! Weasleygrlz07, angelps7, Hazel Maraa, hogwartsgirl52, Siriuslover4eva, onewhoisweird324, Augurey Song, Pyrefly, Blackeyesboggling, Moony4Moony, girlsrule4ever, Heiress-To-The-Dark-Throne Lots of Lovely Reviews…Fun stuff**

**  
Anyway, Read…Reviews always loved**

It was early, Sirius, James and Peter were happily sleeping on that beautiful Saturday morning, but as everyone knows, all good things must come to an end, and that's exactly what happened as Remus opened the curtains blocking the windows.

"No!" Sirius cried, pulling the curtains tighter around his bed and shoving his pillow over his head. "How'd I end up with the early morning sunlight bed!"

"You demanded the bed nearest the window." James replied in a monotone voice.

"Aw, stick a sock in it."

"It's honestly not that early, 9:30 am." Remus dutifully put in.

"That's all good fun, Moony, but its 9:30 am on a Saturday. SATURDAY! Saturday starts with S which stands for SLEEP!" Sirius moaned from beneath his pillow.

"However," Remus started, "S also stands for sports and you two have Quidditch practice in thirty…" Remus was then cut off by the flying of bed hangings and the over-active scramble for Quidditch robes.

""

"Where are they?" Sam paced at the edge of the Quidditch field. They weren't allowed to fly in uniforms until the captain was present, and James and Sirius were yet to be seen. Beth had the snitch, practicing with it like James had taught her, releasing, then grabbing it before it could get out of arms reach. The Jones brothers, Steven (third year) and Jeff (fifth year) were hitting each other over the head with their beater's bats. Alexandra (fifth year), their last chaser, was sitting on the ground absent-mindedly braiding and un-braiding her hair, and staring at Jeff Jones. "Finally!" Sam screamed, as Sirius and James entered the pitch, followed by Remus Lupin.

"Where's Peter?" Beth asked.

"He said he was meeting someone to help him with Transfiguration while we had practice." Sirius responded. "Come on, let's fly." Seconds later, all seven players were in the air, and practice had begun.

""

Lily sat in the pitch watching the team fly around. 'The James Notebook', as she mentally dubbed it, was open on her lap. She didn't even know why she brought it to his Quidditch practices or games; she never had anything to write down. James conducted himself as a mature 16 year old when on that field.

_If only we could take his attitude toward Quidditch and harness it toward the rest of the world._ Lily thought, watching him talk to Beth up in the air.

"Hey Lily, I didn't know that you liked Quidditch." Remus joined Lily in the stands.

"Well, got to support my friends, yeah?" Lily smiled, hastily snapping her notebook shut.  
No one outside of James and herself knew about her lessons with James, and frankly, she wanted to keep it that way.

"Yeah, that's why I'm here." Remus followed Lily's glance up to James and Beth, however, for an entirely different reason.

""

"Now remember, the snitch usually will escape when you're within and arms reach, so you need to make sure that you have a fast grab time, alright?" James was talking to Beth, but Beth was looking right over his shoulder. "What's so interesting?" James said turning to see what Beth was looking at.

"Our own miniature fan club," Beth smiled and waved to Remus and Lily. They waved back and Beth turned back to James, who was looking slightly green.

"Since when does Lily come to practices?" He asked Beth eagerly.

"She started coming a couple of weeks ago, said it was for a project, but wouldn't tell us anything else." Beth smiled, watching James's face get slightly greener, "Why does it matter? She watches the games, this is really no different."

"Right, no different, no different at all." James muttered to himself as he flew down to release the one of the Bludgers and the snitch.

""

The first part of practice went pretty well, and when James called break, Beth flew over to see Lily and Remus, while the rest of the team headed into the locker rooms for a drink of water.

"Well played." Remus smiled as Beth landed.

"Yeah," Beth smiled and grew red at the comment.

"Yeah, but James isn't playing that well, he dropped the Quaffle seven times. I don't think he's ever dropped it before today." Lily's eyebrows were furrowed together.

"Yeah, my fault," Beth smiled, "I pointed you and Remus out in the stands."

"He's afraid of us watching?" Remus asked, feeling that that was not who James was.

"No, he's not afraid of you watching," Beth turned from Remus to Lily, "He's afraid of you watching. When he saw you he turned a funny green kind of colour and began muttering to himself, almost like he was convincing himself to keep cool."

"Hmm," Lily looked onto the field where James had just emerged from the changing rooms, "That's interesting."

""

The team walked up to the castle slowly, exhausted from practice. Well, most the team was exhausted, Sam and Sirius were racing. Steven, Jeff, Alexandra, Lily and James started to make their way up the path.

"Coming Moony?" James asked over his shoulder.

"I'm going to wait for Beth; I'll meet you all up there." Remus smiled.

"Okay, have fun." James said, distracted because Lily had just let her hair out of its ponytail and it was flying behind her as she walked. Remus rolled his eyes and glanced back to the changing room door.

_What is taking her so long?_ Remus thought. After rocking on his heels for a few minutes, he approached the door. "Hello?" He called into the doorway, "Beth?"

"Remus? Come in, I'm decent." Beth was sitting on a bench inside the changing room, her notebook open across her knee.

"Hey, I was wondering what was taking so long." He smiled, watching her pen fly across the page.

"Yeah, sorry, I thought of it while I was in the air, and had to get it down before I forgot. Am I holding everyone up?"

"Nah, everyone else headed up already, I just decided to be nice and wait." Remus sat next to her on the bench.

Beth paused for a moment; Remus Lupin was sitting right next to her, in touching distance. The grown, mature part of her brain was telling her not to do anything stupid, but the overactive writer's side of her brain told her to do something drastic.

"Do you—Do you want to read it?" Beth asked nervously.

"Your notebook?" Remus asked, shocked. "But no one reads your notebook, not even Lily and she's your best friend."

"Well, you can't read the whole thing, but you could read a section of my story if you want."

Remus' eyes grew wide. He knew that this was an honour by Beth, and the chance may never come again. "I'm sure, tell me where to read."

"Right here." Beth put her finger at the beginning of a line. Remus took the notebook and began to read.

_"It's just not fair, y'know." John snapped, losing his usual cool complexion, "You keep telling me to grow up, to act my age, but when I try, you tell me that I'm being too responsible, that we should be enjoying the age we're at. Why can't you make up your mind?"_

_"I--I don't know what to say..." Lindsay started, but John cut her off._

_"Don't say anything, I'm not finished. There hasn't been a single moment in the last year or so that you're scolding hasn't run though my mind. I tried to be the man you want, but I've realised I'm not. I guess you'll just have to like me for who I am naturally." John stormed from the room leaving Lindsay sitting shell-shocked. _

_"I could never like you for who you are," she whispered to the emptiness, "I love you for who you are." _

Remus looked up from Beth's notebook to see Beth chewing on the corner of her lip, studying his face, and eagerly waiting for his thoughts.

"Wow. How did you think of this?"

"I dunno... it just kind of comes to me at random times. That's why I like to have my notebook near at all times." Beth shrugged.

"So is that all you write? This story?"

"Oh, most definitely not!" Beth smiled. "I write everything. Things I see, conversations I hear, things I feel, everything. In fact, you're holding my entire view of the world.''

Remus looked at the light-blue notebook in his hands. Suddenly, the power of it hit him and he handed it back to Beth rather quickly.

''Umm...perhaps we should get going,'' Remus turned to face the door, ''We don't want anyone to worry about us.''

''Right, worrying is generally bad.'' Beth slid her notebook into her bag, and threw her bag over her shoulder, leading the way out of the locker room.

""

**Beth's notebook**

_AHHH! I cannot believe I just handed him my notebook. I mean, he could've run it straight to the other Marauders and partied away, just laughing at my writing. But, Remus wouldn't do that...he's the nice marauder...right? Anyway, Lily is still sure that James's crush on her is merely because he can't get her, but I'm starting to think its something more…you should've seen the colour his face turned when he saw her at Quidditch. _

**Okay, there it is…**

**And everyone love Gabby! For she saved you all from an UNBETAed disaster once again…Bow before her and bake her cookies… (I would, but I can't bake to save my life and Gabby would end up poisoned…we don't want that)**

**Bekah.**

**P.S. I own nothing :) **


	8. Not tonight Remus, rain check?

**And, I'm back…can you say quick update?**

**Immortaleyes- I applaud you for noticing…because I didn't even notice…Yay for when the Reader catches what the writer misses.**

**Alana Heloise – I understood…and Poison cookies are my favorite flavor: ) : )**

**And lots of love to everyone else who reviewed, and I'm sorry that I'm too lazy to look up all your pen names…but it is late and I want to post this…**

**Read away…and remember, everyone loves reviews**

Christmas time spread throughout the castle. Students were smiling more with the approaching break, and laughter could be heard from all corridors. Only two students in the entire building weren't happy, and they both were sitting in the Room of Requirement.

"Okay, so I can shove things in Sirius's ears, but only behind closed doors?"

"Well, it would be best if you didn't shove things in Sirius's ears at all, but if you must, wait until you are out of public areas, like when you're in your dormitory."

"Well, what if he's being a legitimate prat."

"If he's being enough of a prat that I'm considering sticking something up his nose, you may shove things in his ears. What is it with shoving things in Sirius's ears anyway?"

"It annoys the shit outta him."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Okay, then, is that a wrap for tonight?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Okay then, see you next Friday." Lily turned toward the door.

"Umm…Lily?"

Lily sighed and turned back on her heel. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to give you warning. My seventeenth birthday is will be over Christmas break."

"O…k…?" Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Well, my mother is convinced that all children should have these elegant coming-of-age parties. She's throwing this whole big thing and all Gryffindors in fifth, sixth, and seventh year are invited. So, it's just a kind of a heads up that the invite is coming."

"Oh, okay, thanks for the heads up."

"And can I ask you for a favor?"

"You can ask, I can't guarantee that I will give you the favor."

"Please put your personal prejudices against me aside when you read the invitation. I'm not really pumped about this whole party, but it's a really big deal for my mum. I'm her only son, so she wants it to be the best party she's ever thrown, and I want it to be perfect for her."

James looked oddly sincere, and Lily was so taken aback that she didn't even realize what she was doing as she nodded and walked back to the dormitory.

""

Beth sighed, and buried her head in her hands. Sometimes she wished her ideas would just write themselves down, so she wouldn't have to deal with trying to find the right words.

"Having issues?" Remus whispered. Beth jerked her head up. This was the first time either of them had ever said a thing to each other during their Friday night sits.

"Just small ones," Beth smiled.

"Hey, have you heard about James's party yet?"

"Yeah, its gunna be this big thing, isn't it?"

"Yup, his mum is going all out."

"It sounds like a blast. Are you going to have a coming-of-age party?" Beth asked, scribbling in her notebook at the same time.

"Nah, my birthday falls on a fu—." Remus cut short, "Falls at a time that my family is really busy. Life is easier without major parties."

"I see." Beth whispered, making a note that Remus's birthday was a full moon.

The rest of the night in the library passed rather uneventfully, with neither Remus nor Beth talking. Just after nine, after Madam Pince had shooed them out of the library, Remus spoke again.

"Do—Do you, um, want to get something to eat?"

"But dinner's over."

"Ah, but I am a marauder, a well-behaved one, but a marauder none the less."

"Which means…?"

"I know where the kitchens are." Remus smiled.

Beth stopped for a second, thinking. Slowly she smiled, "Not tonight Remus, rain check?"

"Whenever you want," Remus smiled.

""

"Hey, Sirius? What is this party going to be like, anyway? You've been to coming-of-age pure-blood parties haven't you?" Peter was sitting on the edge of his bed, swinging his legs mindlessly.

"Yeah, but Mr. and Mrs. Potter's Party should be slightly different from the 'Noble House of Blacks' Parties. Or at least I hope so." Sirius flipped lazily through his magazine.

"But you must have some idea.''

Sirius sat up. ''People wear fancy clothes and dance around like idiots. Hopefully Prongs' party will be better than that.''

''Well...is there at least good food?''

''Way to look at the bright side.''

""

James did not want a big deal for his birthday. As far as he was concerned, it was just another day. But his mum really wanted this party to be good; she'd been planning it since the day he was born. He figured, what was the harm in letting his mum have her party? And better yet, if Lily was going to come, maybe there would be benefits from it.

""

Sam sighed and looked at the letter from her mother. _I was down helping Mrs. Potter this morning. James's party is going to be wonderful. I don't see why you won't let me throw a nice party like his. Anyway, James should be asking you if he can escort you to his party any day now, so remember to be polite. I have a dress all ready for you._

Sam rolled her eyes. Her mum and James's mum went to Hogwarts together, and were best friends. Sam had lived 4 houses down from James her entire life, and as far as Mrs. Sercose was concerned, Sam and James were already married. Sam sighed. She loved her mom, she really did, but she wasn't going to be that Pure-blood, stay at home mom her thought she should be, or at least not with James. She had her sights set on a different pure-blood teenager. Sighing once again, she fell back onto her bed, hoping and praying that James would stick to his guns for just this one aspect of his mother's 'Perfect Party'.

""

**Parties are fun! I love Parties!  
**

**Anyway, up next, more Fluff, a couple of letters, a party, and the beginning of dating for one of our lovely couples…**

**Anyway…Reviews are my best pal…**

Bekah

**PS I do own a new copy of HBP, but that's about it…: ) **


	9. You have been cordially invited

**Hey, Hey, I'm back!**

**Thank you reviewers! I love you Reviewers! I bow before your toes and kiss the ground you walk on…sort of…I don't like dirt in my mouth to much…**

**Side Note to the Lengthy review of Lily Christie : 1) Sam loves Quidditch, yes, but not enough to abandon her friends for the marauders… besides, y'all don't know it yet, but Sam's motto in life is "A game isn't a game without a couple of beaters." 2) Yes, I know about the Blacks, and there is a reason that "The Black Family" donated the brooms…but That's not important now…:taps side of nose:**

**Now that you've watched me act like an idiot, let's watch made up characters act like idiots. **

_Yuletide letters_

Lily Elizabeth Evans,

You have been cordially invited to the coming-of-age party of James Gregory Potter. It will take place on December 26 from 7 pm to 11 pm, at the Potter Mansion. Muggle Dress or Wizarding Dress robes are acceptable. We eagerly await your reply.

Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Potter

""

Mr. and Mrs. Potter,

I would be honoured to attend your son's coming-of-age party. It will be an honour to meet you.

Lily Evans

""

Lily,

I hate you and your lack of pure-blood parents. James refused to ask to be my escort (thank god), so now we're both being punished. I think my parents actually told me to stop repressing my true feelings for the boy. James is a good guy and all, but eww.

Anyway, some good has come of this. Mum said since I am being "A good sport with all the fanciness" that I can have you and Beth stay over for the rest of the holidays. We might even stay in the Potter mansion, because when they say mansion, they mean MANSION! That thing is huge. I've stayed over there with my parents for New Year every year I've been alive, and I've stayed in a different guest room each time! Plus, they have a training Quidditch pitch in their back yard. What more do you want?

Anyway, ask your parents and let me know. Either way, I'll floo over about noon on the 26th and you can get ready at my house.

See you around,

Sam

""

Sam,

Hahahahahahahahahaha. Are your parents forcing you and James to go together? I really am sorry, but it's just so funny.

Anyway, my parents say that staying at your house will be alright. I'll see you then.

Lily

""

Lily,

Good, Beth is staying too. No, I don't have to go with James, but James is going to get into some serious trouble if he doesn't have someone to escort. Plus, all the marauders are already there. I can hear them screaming on the pitch as we speak. Ugh. Oh well.

Sam

""

James smacked Sirius upside the head. "You cannot put spells on the goalposts to keep themselves when you are supposed to be practicing keeping!"

Sirius smiled roughly, "Aye, aye, Cap'n."

"Come on guys, I'm bored!" Peter called from down on the ground. "Let's go get some food."

"Oh, food. How I long for thee!" Sirius muttered his agreement.

"Alright, fine." James hit the ground and led the way into his house.

"Mum, Sirius is begging for food using old English terms again!"

"Bring him here, bring him here!" She smiled, pulling a blueberry pie out of the oven. "Celeste, get these black hole boys some of the Cherry pie whose crust was lopsided."

The small house-elf in a pink toga-like towel nodded and smiled.

"Here is your pie, sirs." She squeaked softly. James nodded and slipped her a small handful of raisins. He had known Celeste all his life, and the elf had a strange love for raisins. She smiled widely and hastily shoved some into her mouth. "Thank you, sir."

James nodded again and dug into his pie. His mum watched him over the counter.

"James, dear, do you have anyone to escort yet?"

"No mum."

"Well how about Sa…"

"No mum."

"Well, you better get an escort soon dear, that's all I'm saying."

James sighed, "Come on guys, lets head upstairs."

When they reached the upstairs corridor they all decided to split up for a bit, having stayed up all night the night before and spent the last 36 hours together. So they all headed into their separate bedrooms.

James paced the length of his bedroom twice before falling onto the bed. He didn't have a girl to escort, and he didn't know who to ask. If it was a question of whom he wanted to ask, well, that was obvious, but he remembered Lesson number 3 with Lily, girls hated to be bugged. And asking Lily to be the girl he escorted would annoy her, and she would accept out of politeness for his parents, and then he'd just be torturing her all night long. He sighed and pulled a pillow over his head. _What to do? What to do?_ He thought desperately. As if this thought flew through the air, a soft tap came on his window. He threw the pillow off his head, and crossed to his window, letting the brown screech owl in. He untied the letter and read it quickly.

_James,_

_I'm asking for your help here. I really like Remus, and I'm pretty sure he likes me too, but he won't do anything about it. He asked me to go get some food from the kitchens with him a couple weeks before the break, but I had to take a rain check, and he's barely said two sentences to me since. Help knock some sense into him please!_

_Beth_

James read the note over several times. He knew Remus well enough to know that just telling him that Beth liked him would never work; he'd have to trick Remus into doing something. He sat for a moment, thinking about how to help Beth, and then realized that he had to find out how to help himself first. Breathing in slowly, he thought about a series of different ideas before he came to one that would solve both Beth's and his own problem. He flipped Beth's letter over and scribbled hastily onto the back.

_Beth,_

_Let me escort you to my party. Please. Trust me, it will work. _

_James_

James sighed and headed back to his bed to try and get some sleep. With any luck, Remus would be jealous enough to act. Anyway, even if he didn't, Beth was a nice enough girl, and it would get his mum off his back. Pulling his pillow over back over his head, he fell into a restless sleep, hoping Remus wouldn't kill him when he found out.

""

Beth sat nervously on the edge of her bed. She wasn't sure what had compelled her to write James, but she had to do something. She wondered how long it would take for James to get her letter. She finally decided that she should do something other than just sit there. She went to get up and grab her notebook, but then she heard a tap on her window. She ran over and snatched the letter from her owl and read it over several times quickly. She took a deep breath and wrote a single word reply.

_Okay._

""

**Okay, okay. I know I promised party ness, but that is a really long section and I wanted to honour it by making it a chapter of its own. **

**Also I have a favour to ask of you. A wise teacher told me that the best way to test your characters is to have them react to other people. She encouraged us to pick a character of our and have them interact with people out of our story. I decided I'm going to use Beth. I could have Beth interact with my friends, but I can assume what they would say to her and plan for it, so I'm asking you all to test Beth Darling. E-mail her at Beths(Underscore)Notebook(at)hotmail(dot)com and help my project be a success. If anyone is really excited about talking to an imaginary character, then I'll…or Beth…will keep checking that e-mail and continue to respond to any e-mails sent. **

**Anyway…hope you enjoyed it…Reviews are loved as always **

**Bekah!**


	10. he had fallen asleep in his oatmeal

**Nice quick update, cause everybody loves quick updates, and I'm getting braces on tomorrow so I wanted to get this out before my mouth is in pain once more…**

**Thanks for all the Reviews! We're over 100 and that makes me happy :) **

…**okay, enough of me…to the story…**

The morning of the 26th was crazy in the Potter household, except, of course, for the four boys sitting around the kitchen table. Sirius had fallen asleep in his oatmeal; Peter was poking at his mindlessly with a spoon; Remus was eating while reading a book propped against the milk jug, and James was staring absent-mindedly at the ceiling. Suddenly, the silence of the room was broken when Mrs. Potter burst into the room, causing Sirius to jerk awake with oatmeal in his nose, Peter to drop his spoon out of shock, Remus to close his book, and James to smile at his mum.

"Happy Birthday, baby!" James was smothered in hugs and kisses for about a minute before he could escape.

"Yeah, thanks mum." He smiled in spite of himself.

"I hope you have a beautiful young lady to escort to the party tonight."

"I said I would Mum, of course I do."

Sirius, Remus, and Peter's heads snapped up. "You have a date?" Sirius asked, shocked.

"Yeah, I do."

"Who?" Remus asked.

James looked Remus determinedly in the eye, although he felt bad on the inside, he couldn't let Remus know it. "Beth, Beth Micrada." Most of the colour drained out of Remus's face at that moment.

"Oh." Remus replied. He quickly opened his book again, his face seeming to get paler and paler. Sirius sat speechless for the first time in his life, and Peter just stared at James, his mouth hanging open.

"Oh, that young lady Sam was telling us about, yes? I hope that she is beautiful enough for my James." Mrs. Potter smiled again, placing a giant kiss on her sons face. James rolled his eyes, and walked out of the room, closely followed by his mother, Sirius and Peter.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Potter." Remus whispered to the empty room, "She is the going to be the most beautiful woman at the ball."

""

"Lily!" Beth smiled as Lily toppled out to Sam's fireplace.

"Hey, Beth." Lily coughed, brushing soot off her clothes, "Excited about tonight?"

"Of course, I actually have an escort, so why wouldn't I be?"

"Remus?" Lily asked, giving Beth an odd kind of look.

"Nope," Sam sighed, coming out from the fireplace behind Lily, "James is her escort."

"James?" Lily repeated, slightly stunned. Beth nodded, and Sam sent Lily a 'Don't ask' look, so Lily just smiled and said, "Well, where are our dresses?"

"Come on, follow me." Sam smiled leading the way up to there bedroom to start getting ready for the party.

""

A soft knock came on Remus's door.

"Who is it?" He called.

"Sirius—mate, can I come in?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Sirius creaked open the door and slipped inside.

"You okay? You're looking abnormally pale for this long before the full moon."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep last night, that's all." Sirius nodded and stood awkwardly near the door.

"Well, James is a bastard." Sirius attempted.

Remus smiled up at Sirius. "No he isn't, but thanks for trying."

"Right." Sirius rocked on his heels for a second, and then pointed to the door. "I'm just going to leave…now."

Remus smiled again as Sirius practically flung himself from the room. He had good friends, whether he wanted to admit it or not right now.

""

"Come on! We're going to be late!" Sam called, banging on the door to her room and the door to the bathroom, where Lily and Beth were putting the final touches on their make-up. Sam herself was wearing a dark red muggle dress that Lily had bought her for Christmas. Her dark brown hair twisted simply into a knot on the back of her head. She smiled into the hall mirror as Lily came out of the bathroom.

"Ah, but fashionably late." Lily smiled at Sam. Lily's gold dress swept to the floor, and Lily's hair hung loosely over her shoulder in soft, natural curls. "Where's Beth?"

"Still locked in my bedroom," Sam rolled her eyes playfully, "For a bookworm, it sure takes her forever to get ready."

"Yeah, well my hair is twice as long as yours is…so cool your jets!" Sam and Lily turned to face Beth with a sweet smile. "Okay, let's go."

""

"This is boring." Peter complained, standing in between Remus and Sirius. "This is a crappy party."

"That's only because nothing can start until the birthday boy shows up, and he can't come into the ballroom without his date, and the girls are late." Sirius sighed, his hands in his pockets.

"Only a little bit longer." Remus commented.

"Boo!" Sam jumped up behind Sirius.

"Oh good, you're here. Can the party start now?" Peter sat up eagerly.

"Of course! The fun is here!" Lily smiled, joining the group.

"Where's Beth?" Remus tried to ask with a calm voice.

"In the hall with James and Mrs. Potter, I think Mrs. Potter is taking them captive." Right then the lights dimmed just slightly. Everyone turned in one rhythmic movement to face the doors. James and Beth made their way slowly into the room. James looked like he always did in soft black dress robes, but Beth looked fantastic. She was wearing simple dress robes of sky blue, but dress robes had never looked better on anyone, the top layer of her hair was pulled up in a barrette, and the rest of it fell gracefully over her shoulders. Lily reached over and gently pushed Remus's mouth shut, and he didn't even notice. But then the orchestra started to play, and James turned to Beth nodding in a bow. Beth smiled, slipped her hand in his, and began to waltz.

"She's here with James." He whispered so softly that no one else could hear him. Suddenly, Remus felt pathetic and angry all at the same time. He didn't even notice Sirius politely asking Sam to dance, or Peter darting toward the small buffet. It wasn't until Lily started talking to him that he snapped back into reality.

"Hello? Are you in there?"

"Wha-oh sorry Lily, what was that?"

"I said, isn't this ballroom lovely. I must hold thousands of people."

"2,500. Mr. Potter told us when we were helping him make sure the decorations looked right."

"Oh."

Lily and Remus made their way over to one of the walls and sat on the chair next to it, managing to hold a semi-causal conversation. However, Lily had the feeling that Remus wasn't whole-heartedly listening. Honestly, she couldn't blame him, because she too was slightly distracted by the blue and black swish of clothing in the centre of the dance floor.

""

Several hours went by, and the dance only had an hour or so remaining. Lily and Remus were still sitting in their chairs near the wall, but they had both given up on their conversation, though for different reasons. Lily was taken aback by the whirls of colours from all the dresses and dress robes, and how fantasy-like the ballroom looked. Everything looked almost perfect, until she looked next to her. Remus was sitting stiffly in his chair, his jaw set, and his hands clenched in fists, his eyes following James and Beth with amazing accuracy as they weaved through other couples. Lily sighed, thinking over what her kindness would lead to, but then decided to take one for the team.

"Come on." Lily grabbed Remus by the wrist and dragged him onto the dance floor. "May we cut in?" she asked sweetly when they reached James and Beth.

"Of course, my dear." James smiled happily slipping Beth's hand into Remus's and taking Lily's in his own, linking his other arm around her waist. "Just couldn't stay away, could you, Lilikins?" He smiled sarcastically.

"Oh please," Lily smiled, glancing over James's shoulder at the couple behind him, "This is totally not for you."

""

Remus was smiling more than he had all Christmas break. He was dancing with Beth, and she was smiling at him. She was tapping her finger against his shoulder in beat with the music, and whenever the music swelled, she would squeeze his hand softly. Far sooner than Remus would've liked, the song ended, and Beth slipped her hand from his to clap for the orchestra. Mrs. Potter stood from where she had been sitting with Mr. Potter, her voice magically magnified.

"Now, since it is James's Birthday, and he has been such a lovely young man as his crazy mother forced all kinds of fanciness on him, I have gotten him an extra present."

A band walked onto the stage, that Remus recognized to be one of James's favourites, but he couldn't name it, because his brain had gone briefly dead. Beth had just slipped her hand back into his, and whispered into his ear.

"Come on; let's go get some punch or something." The slipped to the table, grabbed some punch, and headed out to the balcony running the length of the second floor ballroom as the band started up a loud song.

"This is fun." Beth smiled

"Yeah, the Potters really know how to throw a party."

"And it's awesome that they are letting us all stay here. I mean, I just ran up to my guest room for a minute to put up some stuff, and it was huge! And Beautiful! And the curtains were casting this odd golden light and…now I'm just babbling." Her cheeks went slightly pink.

"That's okay; I like to hear you talk." Remus said without thinking. An awkward kind of silence fell between them. They stood for a couple of minutes staring off the balcony, before Beth let out a small, "oh!"

"What?" Remus asked.

"I really like this song." Beth smiled as a slow tune filtered out from the ballroom.

Remus watched her for a second, and then mustered all the courage he could. "Um…Beth…would you like to dance?"

Beth smiled and nodded. She stepped toward him; then let out a small laugh when she realized how clueless he was. She took his hands and placed them around her waist before putting her hands around her neck. He smiled his thanks.

"Hey, I just noticed something," Remus commented as they began to dance, "You don't have your notebook."

"No," She smiled up at him, "it's on the desk in my guest room. I'll write down everything when I get back."

"You'll remember it all?"

"I remember everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

Remus smiled again. Gaining the small courage he had left, he looked down and right into her eyes. "Hello," he whispered.

"Hello." She whispered back. Remus just then noticed how close they were. Beth seemed to notice too, because she nervously bit the corner of her lip. Remus smiled, and suddenly felt he had all the courage in the world.

"I'm going to kiss you now."

"Okay."

""

"Oh my, that's sweet." Lily smiled, still watching Remus and Beth over James's shoulder.

"I told her it would work." James smirked, turning around so he could see them over Lily.

"What d'you mean?"

"Beth was getting irritated because Remus wouldn't act on his crush, so she wrote me a letter asking me to help. I knew if I asked Beth to my party, Remus would start to get jealous. I was hoping he would act on his jealousy, but I guess you did it for him. Either way, it worked."

Lily looked up at James as he looked over her shoulder at Remus. She smiled just slightly. Her lessons were beginning to pay off. She got on her tip-toes and quickly kissed James on the cheek.

"What was that for?" James said, shocked.

"You're a great friend."

"Thanks." James tried to sound off hand, but his face had gone rather red.

""

The end of the party went by rather un-eventfully or un-eventfully by Marauders standards. Beth and Remus were practically attached at the hand all night, Sirius made Peter's drink explode a couple of times, and Peter let a mouse loose, causing both Lily and Beth to jump on to chairs, and Sam to stain her dress by crawling under a table to get it, and Sam and James were constantly disappearing when their parents came near to try and make them dance. All in all, it was a good party.

_It was an extremely good party._ Remus thought as he climbed into bed with his book. Just when he decided to put his book down and start to fall asleep, the door burst open. Remus snatched his wand from the bedside table and pointed at the intruder.

"What? Am I that scary? You are the one who decided to kiss me." Beth smiled from the doorway.

"What in the world are you doing bursting into my room at one in the morning?" Remus laughed, placing his wand back down on the table.

"I want my rain check. You said you would get a snack with me whenever I want." She sat down on the edge of his bed.

Remus rolled his eyes, and picked up the little bell that was charmed so that only the house elves could hear it. Celeste came into the bedroom.

"What can I get for you?" she squeaked, bowing low.

"Can you just bring up some of the leftovers from the ball?"

"Of course, sir," She said straightening up, "Oh, and Madam." She added, seeing Beth. She scuttled out of the room, and a couple of minutes later, she returned with a basket full of leftovers. She bowed and left again.

"So, why the midnight munchies?"

"Cause I wanted to talk to you. Is that such a shame?"

"No, I suppose not." Remus smiled and continued to talk to Beth for several hours, before he found himself drifting to sleep.

**Well there you have it. Beth and Remus have finally gotten there act together (In the most corny way possible, it seems). Yay for them. **

**Okay, Now I have a question for you all. How long should this story run? Until the end of Hogwarts, Until Lily and James's wedding, Until Harry's Birth, or until that sad Halloween night? What say you all?**

**Bekah**


	11. Remus Lupin, you great prude,

**I'm soooo sorry for the long time no updating! Read on Read on!**

The light danced on the outside of Remus's eyelids, but he didn't open his eyes. He had been having such a wonderful dream. He had kissed, danced with, and stayed up most the night talking to Beth. He knew that once he opened his eyes someone would tell him it was the morning of the party, and it would be entirely different and not in his favor. He groaned as the light got brighter and brighter against his eyes, and he rolled over.

"Is something wrong?" A small voice mumbled beside him. Remus's eyes flew open and he jerked up into a sitting position.

"Beth! What are you doing here?" He exclaimed.

"You feel asleep in mid-sentence. I went to clean up to food, but I must've fallen asleep too." She indicated to the food and crumbs still scattered on the end of the bed.

"You better get back into your room before someone realizes you're missing or comes in here and gets the wrong idea." Remus stood and bustled Beth towards the door.

"Remus Lupin, you great prude," Beth smiled, "Don't I at least get a good morning kiss?" Remus sighed and looked to the floor briefly. He noticed Beth was holding her notebook with her favorite purple pen stuck in the binding. _She must've slept with it in her arms. _He thought. He remembered reading from that very notebook just over a month ago, and smiled.

"What is one, little kiss going to hurt?" He smiled, stepping up close to her. Beth let her notebook fall to the ground as she put one arm around Remus's neck and slipped her other hand into his hair.

After a few minutes, Remus stepped back suddenly, pressing a finger to his lips signaling for Beth to be quiet. She heard Peter and James coming down the hall singing a Beatles song. Beth's eyes got wide as James called out, "Remmy-dear! Wakey-Wakey! It's time to celebrate my first day as an of age wizard." Remus pointed to the closet, and Beth darted inside, pulling the door mostly shut. Through the crack in the door, Beth saw Remus standing in his blue pajama bottoms and prayed that James assumed that Remus hair sticking up in the back was bed hear rather than from she had placed her hand. Smiling at the fact that she, Elizabeth Micrada, had been playing with Remus Lupin's hair, she scanned the room and suppressed a happy squeal. As James and Peter barged in, Beth realized one second too late that she had forgotten something.

"What's that on the floor?" Peter asked, scooping up her notebook. His smile grew wide as he called out, "James, Beth's notebook is here!"

James raised his eyebrows and walked to Remus's bed. "Two people definitely slept here last night." He smiled as he picked up a hair-tie, with a couple of blonde hairs dangling from it.

"It's not what you think!" Remus began to protest.

"Who would've thought, Remus and Beth lost it before any of the rest of us." Peter smirked.

"I guess Lil Remmy is a big boy now." James smiled, pretending to wipe a tear from his cheek.

Beth put a hand over her eyes inside the closet and shook her head from side to side.

"Its…I…nothing happened!" Remus's face was getting redder by the second.

"Sure Remmy, whatever you say." James winked.

"How was it?" Peter giggled.

"It didn't happen!" Remus near yelled.

"Cool down, Remus, I know it didn't, I just wanted to tease you a bit." James smiled. He turned toward the closet, "Morning, Beth."

"Morning, James!" Beth called from the closet

"Well, we'll let you two get back to what you were doing. Breakfast is in 10 though." James smiled, steering Peter out of the room.

Remus crossed to the closet and opened it to find Beth sitting on the floor giggling.

"This would make a great story." She smiled. Remus couldn't help himself; he sat down and began to laugh.

""

Sam smiled as the soft wind made her hair dance. She could see her house from this balcony. She smiled even wider as she saw the bright pink dot that was her mom's gardening hat bobbing around in her yard. She had half a mind to scream hello to her mom, but she had the feeling that the people in the houses between them would not be to happy about that. But still, it was a good morning, so good that she even kept smiling as James and Peter made their way outside singing rather off key.

"Breakfast in tttttteeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnn!" James sung merrily as he leaned against the railing next to Sam.

"Good morning, James." Sam smiled calmly.

"Whatcha doing up here?" James asked.

"Just thinking about those brooms that Sirius's family donated to the team."

"Sirius's family? Donate brooms to the Gryffindors?" James and Peter started laughing.

"What? What's so funny?" Sam asked turning her back to the railing.

"Oh come on Sam, you know the Blacks as well as I do; Pure-Blood mania all through out that family. They took away Sirius's inheritance because he liked being a Gryffindor. They wouldn't donate brooms to a bunch of blood traitors such as us." James laughed.

"Then who donated the brooms? Why? How?"

"Sirius donated six brooms, and kept one for himself. He used money that he had just randomly been saving, and he bought them because a certain chaser in our year was complaining that she had to play with her father's old broom. Anyway, as I said, breakfast soon. Meet you down there." James and Peter made their way off the balcony, leaving Sam in a contemplative silence.

""

Breakfast that morning was unusually quiet. James's parents had already eaten and gone on their way. Sirius was half asleep, as normal, and Sam, who was sitting across from Sirius, kept giving him glances as if she wasn't sure she recognized him. Beth and Remus were casting each other smalls and breaking into small, silent giggles, while Beth scribbled something down from time to time in her notebook which was open next to her plate. Peter was pretty much oblivious to the world around him, the Daily Prophet comics propped up against the milk jug in front of him. James was continually looking around the table at all his friends, but his eyes would linger on a certain redhead longer than others. He glanced over them one more time, and smiled at the lucky life he was given.

""

**Beth's Notebook**

_Well, today has been interesting, and its only 10 am! I'll write more about that latter, but right now I'm eating breakfast. I could bore you with a detailed description of how Remus looks this morning, but I'll spare you. Anyway, James keeps glancing at Lily (nothing unusual) but when he looks at her, he touches his fingers softly to his cheek before letting his hand fall to his lap again (slightly unusual). Did I miss something when I was being wooed by Mr. Lupin? I'll have to do some research (AKA ask Lily) to find out what happened in the rest of the world last night…_

**Well there you have it…sorry for the time and length; I'm just busy with school work and November 18th approaching …. I'll try to be quicker next time!**

**I've decided that this story will go until they leave Hogwarts, then I'll write a sequel…sound good?**

**Bekah**


	12. An old fashion snowball fight

There was only one day left in Christmas break, and the Marauders were out playing in the snow, while the girls were sitting inside talking.

"That's so sweet!" Lily smiled as Beth told them about Remus at the Dance for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. Sam rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. She wished that something like that would happen to her, but she couldn't let the world know she was a squeal-fluffy girl. Beth and Lily did enough of that for all of them. Suddenly, there was a large smash against the window. They all rushed over and Lily stuck her head out the window.

"We, Marauders, challenge The Ladies Fair, to an old fashion snowball fight!" James called, bowing to Lily's head.

"But there are only three of us and four of you!" Lily called back.

The Marauders huddled up for a second, then broke and all made identical chicken sounds.

"Oh, so not cool." Sam said behind Lily. "We cannot let them get away with this!"

"We have to win!" Beth smiled, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"We accept your challenge!" Lily called down to James, "The game will begin in 30 minutes."

"Okay guys, how are we going to win this?" Beth asked, facing her team-mates.

"Easy," Sam smiled, "Pettigrew is not one for violence, a few good hits will take him down, Black and Potter are so proud that a couple of good insults will lure them out into a range where Lily and I can take them out, but Lupin will be a bit tricky."

Lily shook her head, "Lupin is the easiest; we have the 'E' Bomb."

Sam's smile grew wider. "The 'E' Bomb, I love it."

Beth furrowed her eyebrows. "The 'E' Bomb? I don't get it."

"Oh you'll love it," Lily clapped excitedly, "And it's sure to work. Okay, here's what we do…"

""

"Okay, the Wizarding snowball war is about to start." Remus stood in front of everyone, explaining the rules so that they were all clear, "There will be 20 minutes for the teams to build their fort and begin their snowballs, no snowballs can be thrown during this time. When the 20 minutes are up, there are no rules, except that you can only use your wand to charm the colour of the snowballs. The Marauders will have blue snowballs; the Ladies Fair will have Red snowballs. With each hit of the opposite colour, a small bracelet will appear on your arm. After three bracelets are on your arm, you must sit out and you are out for the remainder of the game. Are the rules clear?"

Everyone nodded, so Remus blew the whistle indicating the games had begun.

Both teams built excellent forts in the 20 minutes allotted, so the war was entirely up to hand on hand, or snow on snow, combat. Peter was out in seconds with three consecutive throws, one from each of the girls. Then both teams lingered behind their forts for 10 or 15 minutes, both teams almost afraid to make the first move.

Eventually, Sam cracked. "Big, bad Marauders afraid of a few little girls!" She called, peeking over the wall of their fort.

"Never!" Sirius called back.

"Sure seems like you are!" Beth returned.

"I've never been scared of you a day in my life!" James retorted.

"Oh, please, you're terrified right now, or else you'd be attacking us." Lily smiled.

"Okay, that's it…Moony, guard the fort." Sirius said, crawling out with James right behind him. Lily and Sam rushed the field; Sam approached first managing to get 2 hits on James and three on Sirius. Unfortunately, James hit her twice, and Sirius hit her for the third time right after she released her final blow to him. However, Sam was not one to go down with out a fight. As she fell after Sirius's hit she caught James across the leg, trying to stop him from approaching Lily. However, Lily was a bit closer than Sam had expected. Lily's snowball was knocked out of her hand, and the next thing she knew, she was trapped underneath a heavy being. Turning her head slightly, she met James eyes, and gasped.

"Sorry, so sorry," James whispered, attempting to push himself up.

"No, its okay, you're warm." Lily laughed just slightly. When she did, James glove slipped on the snow, sending him crashing back into Lily. Lily gasped as he hit her, but quickly said, "I'm okay." She looked up into James's eyes again, and felt and odd kind of lurch in her stomach. Seconds later, Beth pegged James in the back with a snowball, putting James out of the game. He managed to get up and joined the others where they were sitting. Lily stood up, dazed, but she nodded to Beth and muttered, "The 'E' Bomb".

Beth nodded and sat on the snow, while Lily headed back to the fort.

"Ouch!" Beth cried, "Oh, my ankle!"

Behind the fort, Remus faltered. "It's a trick," he whispered, "It's a ploy to get me out of the fort."

But just then, Beth began to cry. Lily and Sam were amazed at her ability to pretend to cry without going over the top and without seeming too fake. Remus swore under his breath several times before rolling onto his stomach and crawling out of the small exit of the fort. As he expected, he was hit with 3 snowballs back to back almost the second he left the fort.

"Idiot!" Sirius came charging back onto the field, "She was faking!"

"Nah, really. I didn't notice." Remus said, watching the girls giggle together and begin a little victory dance. Beth smiled and came up next to him.

"A girl has got to do what a girl has got to do. I'm sorry." She smiled and kissed Remus on the nose. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." She whispered in his ear, and then ran back to Lily and Sam to continue with their victory dance.

"I'm cold." Peter whined, "I'll go inside and get Celeste started on hot cocoa for us."

"Sounds like a plan." Remus smiled.

"Go down swinging." James whispered his hands behind his back. Sirius looked at him oddly then scooped up some snow and hid it behind his back as well. Remus shrugged, and followed suit.

"I've got the red-head." James whispered as they walked toward the dancing girls. "Just follow my lead."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n." Sirius smiled.

"Good job girls." James smiled, "What would you like as a prize for your victory?"

"We want each of the big bad Marauders to admit in turn that the Ladies Fair are better than they are." Sam smiled.

"Well, we could do that," James smiled, "But I do believe we have a better idea. Would you agree, Padfoot?"

"I would, Prongs."

"Oh yes, and what is the wonderful idea?" Lily asked, playfully glaring at James.

"ATTACK!" James cried, and each of the Marauders tossed their snowballs at the girls. The girls quickly retaliated, and they spent a good 45 minutes running around before Sam, Sirius, Lily, and James realized that Beth and Remus had disappeared from the fight and that they were frozen to the toes. When the four of the stumbled into the kitchen, Celeste handed them their hot cocoa and told them that Mr. Pettigrew had headed upstairs for a nap and Mr. Lupin told her not to tell where he and Ms. Micrada had went.

"Ooooo. Remmy and Bethie sitting in a tree." Sirius cried in a singsong voice.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Both Sirius and James sang in unison.

Lily and Sam rolled their eyes and sat down at the table sipping their cocoa. James, Sam and Sirius struck up a passionate conversation about their next Quidditch match. Lily absent-mindedly watched them all talk. She smiled as she watched James began a detailed description of their last match. She brought her mug to her lips as James began to talk about Beth's capture of the snitch, and it wasn't until almost half of the remaining cocoa hit her lap that she realized that she had been staring at James Potter. She grabbed a napkin off the table and began to clean up her lap and prayed that no one had seen her.

Unfortunately for Lily, Sam already had, and she was already forming a plan.

""

**Beth's Notebook**

_Well, Interesting day in the Potter Household. First, I froze my butt off so Sam and Lily could have their own miniature revenge on the Marauders, then I tricked my boyfriend into walking into the line of fire. However, I made it up to him…I'll spare you the gory details, but I noticed something odd during the snowball fight. James tripped on something and fell on Lily. Now, the Lily of a few months ago would have pushed him off of her yelling something about indecency and personal space, but today she just lay their, almost in a daze, waiting for him to get up. It almost seems a shame I had to hit James with the snowball…but I just couldn't leave them lying there like love sick puppies. What's a girl to do?_


	13. Psh, yeah right

**SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Sorry! How long has it been? Several months? Oh my can you believe how sorry I am….Really I am! Please forgive my tardiness and continue to read….**

**Warning: This is UNBETAed so y'all didn't have to wait any longer than what you already have. **

"Alright, I think you have everything." Mrs. Potter kissed James on the head and waved to the other Marauders and the girls. "Nice to meet you young ladies, I hope to see you all again."

"Good-bye Mrs. Potter," Lily smiled and waved, "Thank you for having us over this week."

"No problem at all, sweetheart. Now quick, the train is going to leave soon and I'm almost positive that you'll want to be on it." Mrs. Potter shooed them onto the train.

The Marauders went one way down the train, as Lily and her friends went another, (Much to the protests of Beth and Remus). The Marauders quickly found and empty compartment, and slipped inside. Within Seconds, the usual train ride procedure began. Remus sat near the window, buried behind some sort of reading material and refusing to interact with the others as they began to act like four year olds.

"Okay, things that will happen in our wonderful time at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry before we once again return to this train." Sirius smiled.

"Oo! Me first!" Peter smiled, "Sirius will finally get a steady girlfriend."

"Psh, yeah right." James laughed, "Peter will actually manage to get a perfect score without cheating off one of us."

"One can dream. James will finally screw Evans and stop bugging the rest of us about it." Sirius smiled.

"Maybe, you guys will mature to the age that you truly are and stop making these stupid guesses every time we get on the train." Remus added over his book.

"Yeah right." The other three said in unison.

They went around the circle for a few minutes more before Sirius said, "Perhaps the Ladies Fair will decided to join us in our train compartment."

"Oh, I doubt that." James smiled.

"Yeah, then why are they standing outside the door?" Sirius said, pointing to the door of the compartment.

""

"Do we have to?" Lily asked Beth once more.

"Unless you want Beth to bore us with more utter nonsense about her Remus, then yes, we have to." Sam muttered.

"But…**_He_** is in there." Lily's dislike for James had seemed to double since the snowball fight.

"Yes, well, suck it up Evans, because Micrada's going in." Beth smiled, and slipped into the compartment. "Mind if we join you boys?"

"Not at all, come in, come in." Sirius leapt from his seat and bowed, beckoning the girls into the compartment. The girls came in a settled down, and the ride went pretty normally. Everyone ignored Beth and Remus in the corner when they got all sappy, and the entire group was having so much fun that James almost didn't notice that Lily was ignoring him.

Key word there is almost.

"Lily, can I speak to you in the hall for a second?"

Lily turned from where she was joking with Sam and shrugged. "I guess so." She slowly made her way to the door, which James held open for her, before he followed her out.

Beth looked up and met Sam's eyes, and she verbalized what Beth was thinking.

"This cannot be good."

""

"What's up?" Lily asked examining her nails.

"Just curious as to what I have done so that you can't bother to look at me anymore." James asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we've been sitting three feet away from each other for thirty minutes now and you haven't looked at me once," James complained, "Now I'm talking to you alone, and you can't even look at me." He gestured to her cleaning her nails.

Lily sighed and let her hands drop to her side looking straight into James's eyes. An unfamiliar feeling gurgled in the pit of her stomach, but she used that to fuel her outburst. "It's not all about you, Potter," She said harshly, "I have looked at you once or twice while you were talking, though you didn't notice." She was lying through her teeth and she knew it. "Maybe this self-centred attitude is one of the things you should work on if you ever want a chance from me." With that, she turned on her heel and walked down the train, not quite sure where she was going, or why she was leaving.

""

James knew that it would not be smart to follow Lily as she walked away. Opening the door the compartment, he stepped inside. "I don't know where she went, but you might want to go find her." He said, answering Beth and Sam's unanswered questions. They stood in unison and left the compartment, heading the way Lily had walked. James collapsed into his seat and covered his face with his hands.

"Dude, what happened?" Sirius asked cautiously.

"I honestly don't know." James mumbled beneath his hands.

""

Sam and Beth quickly caught up with Lily half-way down the train.

"Lils? What's up?" Sam asked.

"James was just really getting to me so I decided to leave." Lily said calmly, continuing to walk and look in passing compartments.

"Well, perhaps if you paid the boy some attention, he would bug you to get it." Sam responded.

Lily stopped in her tracks. "Excuse me? What do you mean by that?"

"Just what I said," Sam started while Lily bit her tongue in an effort to keep from yelling out. "I know you ignore the guy so no one thinks you like him, but it's really not doing either of you any good."

"Umm...Sam..." Beth tried to interject, watching Lily's face grow to a red to rival her hair.

"No, Beth, this needs to be said. Lily, you are too stubborn for your own good, and if you keep through life the way you are now, then I don't think there is any hope for you."

"Oh really!" Lily's voice was shrill and loud, ''If that's how you feel, perhaps it's a mistake for me to consider you my friend.''

"Maybe!" Sam yelled back, and then she spun on her heel and stormed down the hall. Lily watched for a few seconds before turning and storming off in the opposite direction.

Beth looked from one end of the train to the other, entirely unsure of which way to go.

""

Peter, Remus, and Sirius were sitting in silence as they watched James sit with his face still hidden behind his hands. Sirius thought he had never heard the four of them be so quiet.

"Um...James?" Peter asked hesitantly.

"What, Peter?" he responded, finally taking his hands off his face.

"Would you come with me to find the food trolley?"

James sighed heavily. "Sure, lets go." James followed Peter out of the compartment.

Shortly after they left, Sam went storming past. Sirius excused himself and made his way after her, leaving Remus alone in the compartment. Moments later, Beth slipped back inside.

"I think we're in a bit of trouble." She said, sitting down. They sat in silence for the rest of the ride.

""

**Beth's Notebook**

_It's odd. We were all getting along so well, but now Lily is fighting with James, Sam is fighting with Sirius, and Lily and Sam are fighting with each other. Remus and I have been sort of alienated, because we were the only two from the Marauders and the Ladies Fair who will dare to interact with each other. I don't even know if the Ladies Fair Group is together anymore, with Sam being stubborn and Lily's temper getting a hold of her. I'm not even sure why Sirius and Sam are fighting, but I hate to dig for more details, because I don't want to cause a permanent rip. HELP!_

**Sorry if that wasn't any good…it was kind of written in a rush when I realized how long it has been… Reviews would be loved although I don't really deserve them..**

**Bekah!**

**P.S. Either A) I own Harry Potter, the entire country of France, and Four hot dog stands in NYC, or B) I own approximately $10.53 and a peanut butter sandwich…you pick which one you think is true. **


	14. just happens to be how I feel about it

**Okay, if any Stargate SG-1 fans are reading this...see if you can spot the reference...**

Life was hell. Beth hated waking up, because she would be in the middle of the war between her two best friends. Then, she rarely got to see her boyfriend, because there was all kinds of tension between the boys and the girls. It was absolute torture. The first week they got back, she spent the time when she wasn't in class hiding behind her bed curtains to avoid the sulking and the bad mouthing that generally goes along with teenage fights. On Saturday Afternoon, when she finally re-emerged from behind the curtains, she spent 20 minutes sitting in the dormitory watching her friends ignore each other. Finally, she got fed up and went to go downstairs.

"Where are you going?" Lily asked.

"'She doesn't have to tell you. You're not her mother." Sam muttered.

"I'd go anywhere, just as long as I'm away from you two." Beth informed them both, and, slamming the door behind her, headed down into the common room. She sat down next to Remus at the table the Marauders were working at, and sunk down into the cushions.

"I strongly dislike fights." She sighed, sinking deeper into her chair.

"Not as much as I strongly dislike this guy." Remus flattened his newspaper down on the table, revealing an article about some new self-proclaimed dark lord that was gaining some followers. Beth skimmed the article quickly, gasping along the way.

"What kind of maniac would kill a 3 year-old boy?"

"Not to mention the boy's parents, grandparents, and twin 12-year-old sisters." Sirius groaned, pulling the paper nearer to him as Beth put her notebook onto the table, scribbling franticly

"Yeah, Dad wrote about this nutter. Giving the aurors all kind of trouble. Apparently, he's already seen this guy twice. He told me to watch my step, because a lot of his followers are really young. People suspect that many of them are still in school."

Peter stood up, mumbled something about asking Prof. Slughorn a question, and scurried out of the room.

Sirius tore the paper into a few pieces, tossed it into the fire, and stomped into the boys' dormitory.

Lily came down the stairs, and sat in the chair next to Beth. "Hey, I just wanted to apologize for being a jerk. Just because Sam and I are fighting, we shouldn't make your life miserable."

Beth nodded and stood up. "I'm not mad at you guys...I just don't want to be around you right now. I'm going to the library." Beth made her way through the common room.

She was only gone a few moments before Remus stood up. "If you'll excuse me." he muttered as he followed after Beth's path.

Lily and James sat awkwardly across the table from each other.

"Are you mad at me?" James boldly asked.

Lily sighed, and sat silently for a minute. "No, I don't think so. I'm just angry in general."

A few minutes of silence went by again. "You didn't come to lessons yesterday." Lily said.

"I didn't know we were going to have lessons."

"I promised, didn't I?"

"Well, yeah. But I wasn't sure."

"Next Friday then, okay?"

"Yeah." They sat awkwardly in silence for a little bit longer before James excused himself and headed up to the boys dormitory.

Lily stood and slowly made her way back up into her own dormitory.

"Sam?" She asked out.

Sam replied with a grunt from behind the bed curtains.

"Can you tell me what you know about Potter...I mean...Personally?"

Sam's head appeared between the curtains. "You mean...?"

Lily opened her mouth hesitantly. "Maybe..."

""

Later, that night, Lily and Remus were on their prefect rounds. Remus, in a rather good mood, was talking almost non-stop, while Lily was lost in thought.

"Anyway, I'm sorry, but that just happens to be how I feel about it. What do you think?" Remus concluded.

Lily snapped back into reality momentarily, "What?"

"What do you think?" Remus repeated. Lily furrowed her eye brow and continued to look confused. "Lily, is something wrong?"

Lily smiled at Remus and shook her head, "Maybe. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine" Just then, they heard a sudden crash coming from an unused classroom down the hall. A second smash sent them quickly and quietly towards the door, wands out and ready. Lily pushed on the door and it squeaked open slowly. At first, the room seemed empty, although with several desks in a heap against the opposite wall, obviously have been thrown there. Only after they fully entered the room did they notice the messy black hair and realized that James was huddled in a corner.

"Potter? What did you do to this classroom?" Lily asked trying not to sound accusatory. James merely sat there, but as Lily took a few steps towards closer, she realized he was sobbing.

"Prongs mate, what's wrong?" Remus stepped forward.

"Potter?" Lily's voice was soft and shaking. She had always seen James smiling and joking around. Seeing him crying was a bit of a blow to her. "What's wrong?"

James lifted his head. His round glasses were sitting in his hands, his hair was messier than usual and tear paths were winding down his face. His hazel eyes looked lost and as if he just barely recognized them. He stared at them for a minute before waving his arm toward one of the walls and then curled back into a ball with his head down.

Remus walked to where a crumpled piece of parchment was against the wall. He scooped up the page and began to read.

"Dear Mr. J. Potter, We are sorry to inform you that Mr. Gregory Potter and Mrs. Julia Potter were killed in combat against You-Know-Who and his followers at Potter Mansion last night. In their will they left everything to you, their only son. Any possessions of theirs that survived the attack will be moved to your property at Godric's Hollow. We are sorry for your loss." Remus went on to name several members of the ministry of Magic. Silent tears began to run down Lily's face. In one quick movement she ran to James, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a big hug.

"I'm so sorry James. This is so horrible." James let lily hug him for a moment before he quickly stood up, leaving her sitting in the corner and Remus hovering awkwardly around them. James bent over quickly and kissed Lily softly on the forehead, and gave Remus an odd pat on the back. "See you in two days, Moony." James whispered, and left the room. "

""

James didn't show up for breakfast the next morning or to any of his morning classes. At lunch, Lily turned to Beth.

"What if he did something stupid? What if he's hurt? I've never seen him miss two meals in a row."

Beth flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked Lily right in the eye. "He hasn't done anything stupid. He just needs some time alone right now. Remember how Sam was?" Sam's father had been killed in their 4th year. She wouldn't come out of the dormitory for 9 days and when she did finally come out, she was still a complete wreck. Even though she had mostly recovered to her normal self now, there would still be occasional days when Lily and Beth would wake up to find her crying.

Lily sighed, she knew Beth was right. James was smarter than to hurt himself, but she still couldn't help but feel worried. Gryffindor 6th years didn't have an afternoon class, due to the fact that Professor Kettleburn had severally burned his arm the other day, so Lily trudged up to the common room, her mind still bubbling with thoughts of James. She sat down at her usual seat and began to pull her books out, but found herself absent-mindedly staring out the window. She finally shoved her books back into her bag, told Sam and Beth that she wanted to go on a walk to clear her mind, and quickly headed toward the lake. Following the edge of the lake for a while, she found a nice place to sit. While she sat there, it began to rain softly. She lied down and shut her eyes, letting the rain hit her face. When she opened her eyes, there was a stag looking down on her. Startled, she sat up quickly, nearly knocking hears with the animal.

"Sorry, you scared me." She said softly to the animal. He bowed his head and allowed Lily to stroke his neck softly. "Hey, you want to be my friend?" Lily asked the stag softly as he sat next to her. She smiled as the stag rubbed his nose against her cheek. "I'll tell you what, I need something to talk to and be with this stupid murderer running around and N.E.W.T.s approaching. Now maybe I'm overestimating the intelligence of animals, but maybe if you meet me here after dinner, I would really like that." Lily smiled and she could've sworn that she saw the animal wink at her. "You are a smart animal aren't you?" She rubbed his neck again and looked into the animal's eyes. "Aww, what happened to you? Why do you look so sad?" The Stag rested his head on the ground and looked pathetically up at Lily.

"I know how you feel," Lily sighed, "I guess I better head back up to the castle, see you tomorrow?" The stag stood up and pawed at the ground. Lily stood and walked away, leaving a reformed James kicking the dirt at the edge of the lake. James half-wished she would turn around again and see him standing there, but decided it was for the best that she didn't know, then he slipped silently back into the forest toward the clubhouse the Marauders made a few years past.

""

Beth's Notebook

_The great thing about having best friends is that you can scream at each other and throw complete fits about each other, but you can still trust each other and come back to each other. Yes, Sam and Lily are talking again. Granted, it still a bit strained and isn't quite at the friendship level they were at before, I'll take anything over the complete silence that was looming before. As for Lily and James, well…they fight so often I don't know if they can even tell the difference between when they are fighting or not. Shame about James's Parents though, I wish I could do something to help…though some things are completely helpless. _

""

**Okay, Short, Corny, Clichéd, and entirely unBETAed…but it's an update….so…REVIEWS…or not...whatever  
**

**Bek**

**P.S. I own NOTHING:) **


	15. It is not nice to stick your tongue out

**Sorry, this chapter is not my best writing, and it's not my longest either…but I've had a rough couple of weeks, so I need pretty review pick-me-ups. **

**Anyway, this is just a "moving time along" chapter…so enjoy…**

Time never stands still, especially not in a place such as Hogwarts. Winter passed into the early stages of spring, so very few students spent their time indoors anymore. Sam and Sirius spent as little time as physically possible inside the castle, and as much time as physically possible above the Quidditch pitch.

"Oh yeah, SCORE! Go Sam, Go Sam." Sam did a mid-air victory dance as she three the Quaffle right past Sirius in the hoop. "Take that, Black!"

Sirius bit his tongue to try not a scream the profanities he would've yelled at James when he got it past him. He sat on the edge of his broom trying to think of what to do nest, when the got a great idea.

"Yahhhhhhhhhh!" Sirius let out a war cry before dining directly at Sam. She screamed before heading towards the ground. When she was a foot away, she rolled over on the broom and landed softly on her back.

Sirius was flying 4 or 5 feet above her. "Take that, Sercose!" he laughed.

""

Lily laughed as she watched the two figures above the Quidditch pitch. She stroked the stag, which was resting his head in her lap. "They are such idiots, the two of them both. It's right smack dab in front of them, and they don't see it."

The stag snorted in her lap and shook his head. "What, you don't think it's obvious? I see it clear as crystal. Hmm…maybe I'm just delusional. Ah, well…what can you do?" She laughed and patted the animal softly on the head. "Well, I've got to go; I have to go meet Potter at the Room of Requirement." She said, standing and dusting off her robes. "I'll meet you back her some other time, okay?" She smiled as he looked right into her eyes, and then kissed him right on top of the nose.

When she walked away, James did a bit of a happy dance on the shore of the lake. He sat down smiling, before realizing that he was the one she had gone to meet. "Shit." He whispered before darting towards the building along the edge of the forest.

""

It was Friday, which meant that Beth was in the library, although, instead of sitting across the table from Remus Lupin, he sat right next to her. Beth slipped her chair closer to Remus's. He glanced sideways at her and laughed softly as Beth stuck her tongue out at him. He slid a note sideways toward her.

'_It is not nice to stick your tongue out at people...'_

Beth laughed and scribbled her response.

'_Yeah well, what are you going to do about it?'_

Remus leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Do you really want to know?"

Beth barely had time to smile her answer before Remus showed her what was exactly on his mind.

""

"Ahh, Peter, good to see you." the silky voice of one of Slytherins called out. "Did you hear? The Dark Lord has a very special mission for you. I hope you're up to the challenge."

"This is a bad Idea." Peter muttered under his breath, fidgeting with the hem of his robe.

"What was that?" Snape whispered venomously from behind Peter.

"Nothing, nothing. I'll do anything the Dark Lord asks of me, and I'll do it to his liking." Peter quickly spoke-up, his eyes darting from masked face to masked face.

"Good boy." Hissed a tall pale figure in the corner.

""

"You are a sad, strange little man." Sam laughed as she and Sirius walked towards the changing rooms.

"What? Like you've never wanted to dye your brother's hair an outrageous colour, I mean, how was I to know that he didn't want his hair to be sky blue?" Sirius smiled.

"I repeat Sad and Strange." Sam laughed again briefly before falling silent. They walked the final four feet to the changing rooms in silence. Both of them paused at the door leading to the girl's room.

"Well…um…bye." Sam smiled and quickly slipped into the room.

"Wait, Sam!" Sirius nearly yelled.

"Yeah?" Sam stuck her head back outside the door.

Sirius panicked. "Rematch, tomorrow. I'll cream you."

Sam smiled weakly. "Yeah, see you then." She whispered before slipping back out of sight. Sirius turned and darted into the men's changing room. When he got there, he found the nearest wall and did all good men do.

He hit his head against it repeatedly each time yelling, "Stupid, Stupid, Stupid."

""

Lily smiled as she wandered around the room of requirement. There was nothing that was going to bring her down at the moment. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, she had just returned from spending time on the edge of the lake talking to her only friend who always listened, and tonight she was going to stay up all night with her two best friends and just going to have a good time in general. Even the fact that James was running late wasn't bugging her today. When James finally came bursting through the door, she was all smiles.

"Sorry, a previous engagement ran late." He gasped, out of breath.

"No problem, easy day today anyway. Let's just work on civilized conversation."

"What? No guilt-ridden readings from the notebook of doom?"

"Nah, I'm in a good mood today." Lily smiled and James couldn't help but smiled back.

"So…What do you want to talk about?" He said sitting down on the couch.

""

Madam Pince made her rounds through the library, charming the books students left out to return to their shelves. She turned down on aisle, expecting to smile at Ms. Micrada and Mr. Lupin, but she found their usual Friday seats empty.

'Interesting,' See thought, 'I wonder where they have gone.'

What she didn't know was two tousle-haired teens were one aisle over, hiding their giggles, and attempting to hide the fact that just moments before they were snogging each other senseless.

""

"Now, my darling, little Gryffindor," The long, pale fingers traced Peter's jaw, sending terrified shivers down his back. "I should dislike you merely for the house you were but in, but you'll find the Dark Lord is extremely forgiving, isn't that right?"

"Yes, my lord." The room cried out together.

"You see, Pettigrew, I have a simple task I need taken care of, and you are perfectly positioned to help me."

"Whatever you need, my Lord." Peter whimpered.

"Excellent."

""

**Sorry So Short…**

**Bek**


	16. contains clues to the dreamer's future

**Okay, so it's been a while, but not as long as it could've been :p Anyway, kudos to Shinki because she found the Stargate reference...have some oatmeal…**

**WARNING: Not Betaed...SORRY! **

**Anyway…Read on…I own the peanut butter sandwich I am currently eating, but that's about it…Reviews are loved :p**

"Oh yes, today will be a fun one." Professor Slughorn smiled as all of the students filed into the room. Once everyone was in their seats, he clapped his hands and smiled. "Today we will be working on the Somnio Potion. Can anyone tell me what this potion is supposed to do?"

The usual hands went into the air, but everyone was slightly surprised to see James's hand go into the air as well.

"Well, Mr. Potter, would you care to inform the class about this interesting Potion."

"The Somnio Potion is a potion considered to be used for prediction. This Potion, when made correctly, and taken the night before, leads to a usually outrageous dream that contains clues to the dreamer's future."

"Very good, Mr. Potter, 5 points to Gryffindor." James smiled and turned to wink at Lily, who was smiling, until he winked at her.

"Your assignment today is to create the potion. Your homework tonight is to take the potion, and see what you come up with."

""

"Here's to our future's" Beth smiled standing with the Marauders and the Ladies fair in the common room.

"Bottoms up," Sirius cried, and everyone tipped up their glasses and downed their drink.

"Sweet Dreams," Remus laughed as they spilt-up and headed into their separate dormitories.

""

Beth blinked and turned around. She was in a room full of flowers. They were all over the ground, growing up the walls, and almost covering the entire ceiling.

"Lizzie!" Beth turned to see her younger sister, Margaret, screaming at her from about 20 feet away. "Lizzie! You've got to get out of there!"

"But, Margie, look! It's all so beautiful!" Beth called back, leaning over to pick a rose from a bush near-by.

"But, Lizzie, you've got to save him!" Beth stood up again, forgetting all about the flowers.

"Save who, Margie? Save who?"

"Elizabeth! He's hurt; we've got to help him." Beth's mom joined her sister.

"Who's hurt? Mum, what's going on? Mum, Margie, talk to me!" Beth began to walk towards her family, but the flowers were getting in her way, attempting to trip her.

"Beth, he'll be okay, just don't let him go." Remus appeared on the opposite of side of her sister.

"Remus?"

"Just tell him about me, okay?" Remus smiled, "Just tell him about me."

Beth Blinked "Tell who?"

"Lizzie!"

"Elizabeth!"

"It's okay, Beth." And with Remus' final comment, Beth blinked again, and when she opened her eyes, all she could see were her bed curtains.

""

Sam squinted and looked down the long, dark hallway. She really didn't know where she was or what she was doing, so she decided to go someone who could help her. She walked down the hall and found nothing, no doors, no windows, no people.

"Hello?" She called out, "Is anyone there?"

"Samantha Sarah Sercose." A monotone voice rang through the hall.

"Yes! That's me!" Sam called back.

"Daughter of Rowan and Steven Sercose, best friend of Elizabeth Anne Micrada, and Lillian Michelle Evans."

"Yes! Yes!"

"You are lost."

Sam rolled her eyes, "Yes, I knew that. Hello?" Out of no where, a large black dog bounded down the corridor. Sam grabbed the dog by the collar and scratched him behind the ears.

"Who do you belong to, hmm?" Sam asked, spinning the dog's collar in her hand until she found the name tags.

They read, "Admit if before you go." She read it again and again before flipping the tag over in an almost idiotic attempt to find an explanation. The opposite side of the tag read, "This is the one."

"Quick, before you're out of time." Samantha turned and saw a girl with brown curly hair and dark brown eyes. Sam shut her eyes tight then opened them again, but the girl was still there.

"You're…you're me." She stuttered looking down at her 7-year-old self.

"You didn't get to say it to him before he left." The little Sam pointed over her own shoulder to a faint, almost ghost-like appearance of her father. "So say it to him before you go" The little Sam pointed to the dog that the older Sam was still holding by the collar.

Sam looked from her younger self to the dog and back again.

"What?"

"You know it, admit it."

"I'm so confused."

"You'll figure it out, but don't wait. Don't wait too long. Promise me."

"Okay, I won't wait too long."

"Before you see mum again?"

"Sure." The little Sam smiled

"You have no idea, do you?"

"Not a clue." Sam smiled as she blinked her eyes open, safe in the Gryffindor dormitories.

""

Remus stood in the middle of Hogsmeade on the main street. He looked down towards the shrieking shack, and there he saw Beth standing alone. When he turned and looked the other way, he saw James, Sirius, Peter, Lily and Sam, sitting on the ground and waving and smiling at him.

"Hang on guys," yelled toward the group sitting down and ran towards Beth, who was standing and staring up towards the shack. "Beth, what are you doing over here? Why are you all alone?"

"He's one too, ya know?" Beth smiled, "You gave it to him, but that's okay."

Remus turned to Beth to ask what she was talking about when he saw a blue bundle in her arms. He took it from her, but when he looked where the baby's head should be, he only saw a milk carton. He opened the blanket, but all that was there was that milk carton.

"Beth, what's this?"

She turned and looked at him, "If you were a muggle you'd get it. Go back to your friend, Remus." Beth took the carton from him and cradled it in her arms. Remus's legs started walking backwards against his will. Beth turned away from him, looking back up at the shack. Remus blinked, and she turned into a milk carton, too.

James patted Remus on the back. "Tough luck, mate, time to move on." Remus wheeled around to see him, and they were all sitting around, just talking and laughing, as if nothing was going on.

"Guys, what just happened to Beth? Why does no one care?"

Sirius spoke up, "I know it's hard to believe, you've lost her, but you've got to let go. Move on, Moon man. We can pull through."

Remus turned to look back over his shoulder at the milk cartons, but all he could see was the top of his bed curtains.

""

Peter turned around slowly, and shivered. He hated graveyards, and that's exactly where he was. He looked around for some sign of why he was there. He turned around and saw a body lying to the side. He went over and saw him to be a boy, about his age in Hufflepuff colours, lying haphazardly with no marks on him, but obviously dead.

Peter jumped away from the body and backed into a row of gravestones. He turned and saw Remus staring down at the three gravestones in the row that Peter had just backed into. Crossing to the other side, he saw James, Lily, and Sirius lying in front of the blank head stones, each holding a bouquet of flowers over their chest.

"Moony, what are they doing?" Peter asked, bending over to try and shake James awake.

"They won't wake-up. They're dead." Remus replied in a monotone voice.

"What? How?" Peter asked jumping away from James.

"Did you really get the respect you deserved? Was it worth it, Peter?"

Peter stepped away from Remus. "No, I couldn't. I wouldn't. I didn't. Remus, tell them to stop messing around.

"Peter, look around you." Peter turned and saw miles and miles of gravestones with people lying before them, old and young. "This is what your new friends have done, what you have done, what they will do, what you will do."

"No!" Peter screamed as he woke-up in a cold sweat.

""

Sirius looked around in the strange room. Everywhere he turned he saw a mirror. Sometimes he saw his own reflection; sometimes he saw his Animagus form's reflection.

'How strange.' Sirius thought as he continued to turn around facing the assorted mirrors. But as he continued to look, the images began to change, from him to other people. James was in one, Lily was in another, Peter in a third, Remus, his dad, Regulus, his mum, Dumbledore, Snape…Sirius stopped turning as he looked into a mirror that was empty. The frame was extremely decorative. It seemed like something that his great aunt would have in her attic. But the frame was so golden and decorative, so Sirius thought he should see what it was empty.

Stepping forward, he admired the frame, taking in the detail of the elegant frame and the beauty of the carvings. Then he turned and looked into the glass. Absolutely nothing was in the mirror. Sirius scratched his head and turned to look at all of the other mirrors. Someone was missing.

There were his cousins, his parents, the Marauders, the Slytherins he teased, the Ravenclaw he dated in 3rd year, the little Weasley boys, Lily, Beth…

Sirius turned to look at the beautiful frame as he realized who was missing, but he only saw the window next to his bed.

""

**Sorry guys, but I've got an AP exam coming up, so I won't be able to write much soon, so I thought I'd give you the dreams I've got, and you'll Just have to wait to read about Lily's and James' Dreams.**

**Sorry I'm so evil**

**Bek**


	17. that has got to be the weirdest potion

**Okay, to make up for the fact that I was a horrible person and didn't give you Lily's and James's Dreams, I wrote this chapter to be the second longest of the entire story, beat out only by the chapter of James's Party. Enjoy!**

Lily covered her eyes from the light that was reflecting off the snow. She let her eyes get used to the light before looking around. She was behind the Potter Mansion, just as it was over Christmas break. The snow forts they made were still standing, sparkling in the sunlight, the random spots of blue and red shone from where their snowballs had hit the ground. In the middle of the playing field, there was a dent in the snow. Lily briefly remembered falling and being trapped below James during that snowball fight. When she reached the hole in the snow, she looked in to see a dozen red roses scattered in the hole.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" A voice spoke behind her, although hushed, as if he were in a graveyard. Lily turned around to see James, except it wasn't James. This boy looked slightly different; he had a different air about him.

"This is where it all started for you, isn't it?" The boy spoke in his hushed tones.

"Do I know you?" Lily asked softly.

"I never got to know as well as I would've liked." The James-like boy said, "But you'll know me. You'll protect me in more ways then you can possibly imagine."

"I will?"

"Oh yes." The boy smiled at her, that lop-sided grin that Lily had seen James use so many times before. "I owe you my life in more ways then one."

"Who are you?" Lily asked hesitantly.

"I'm afraid to say I'm the cause you gave your life for, but you've got to believe that it wasn't my fault."

"Then whose fault was it?"

"It was his fault, I'm sorry, I do love you."

"Who is he?"

"It's time to wake up, Mum." And with that, Lily's eyes snapped open.

""

James sat patiently on the couch, while all the kids jumped around, running in and out of the room. He turned and saw Mrs. Weasley screaming into the kitchen, "Fred, no! You put that down right now!" James recognized the room he was in to be the living room of his parent's house in Godric's Hollow.

"My house in Godric's Hollow," he whispered, reminding himself sadly.

"Well of course it's your house. It's just fine for a one-child family, but now with seven, yikes!"

James whipped his head around to see Mr. Weasley holding a baby who could've been no more than a month old in his arms. James smiled, and thought about what he said. 'One-child family?' James thought to himself.

"James? Where is Harry?" Mrs. Weasley came back into the room with one twin under each arm.

"Harry?"

"Yes, your wife will be home any minute and he should be in bed." James sat-up straight in his seat, and saw a black-haired child sitting in the corner with one of the red-headed boys. James went and picked up the boy he assumed to be Harry, who cooed and stole James's Glasses. James blindly wandered to where his nursery was when he was little. Stumbling into the room, he found the crib and placed the boy in it, then wrestled his glasses from the boy's grip.

When he looked back into the crib, the boy was fast asleep, his arm wrapped around the neck of a large, black, stuffed dog.

"Isn't he precious?" the soft voice of a girl James knew far too well filtered in through the back of the room. She placed her arms around his waist, and he straightened up, tightening his back. "What's wrong James?"

"Nothing's wrong." James said, turning his face away from her.

"Why won't you look at me?" She asked.

"Because if I do, I'll wake up."

"James? What do you mean?"

"I mean, your not really there. You're not really you."

"Who do you think I am, James?"

"I know who you are."

"Then who am I?" James sat upright in his bed. "Lily," he whispered.

""

Breakfast the next morning was an interesting meal. As any other Saturday morning, everyone was talking, except for the sections of each table at which the sixth years were sitting.

Sirius was staring at Sam, trying to figure out why her reflection didn't show. Sam was staring at her plate, trying to figure out why she was in love with a dog. Peter was abnormally twitchy, and refused to look anyone in the eye. Remus held Beth's hand under the table through the entire meal, and blatantly refused to have any milk. Beth loved having her hand in Remus's and spun around, panicked every time someone called the Ravenclaw 7th year, Elizabeth. James looked into his bowl of oatmeal, desperately trying not to look at Lily, while Lily was continually glancing at James, trying to depict how James was different from the boy she had seen.

Lily was the first to break the group, excusing herself to take a walk, and the rest of the group decided it had better things to do then just sit.

Lily made her way to the lake, and laid down where she had first met the stag. Shutting her eyes, she tried to recall the mental image of that boy. After a couple of minutes, she felt the stag push his nose into her hand.

"Hold on, I'm thinking." She lay perfectly still for another minute or so before sitting up. "Honestly, that has got to be the weirdest potion known to man." She whispered to the stag, stroking his nose as he brought it down to her hand again. "That boy was just like Potter, but at the same time, so un-like Potter."

The Stag cocked his head to the side, curiously looking at her. "This boy had different eyes, he seemed a little taller, and his nose was a bit different, but he also had a different essence around him." Lily interlaced her fingers and rested her hands on the top of her head. "I mean, this kid was…I dunno…grateful that I was there…appreciative of me, I guess. Potter, just, I dunno…just is, I guess. It's not that Potter isn't grateful; he's just a different form of grateful. I don't know." Lily sighed and let her arms drop to her sides, "If I knew, it wouldn't be quite so scary, would it?" Lily sighed and laid down again, eyes shut. The stag lay down and pressed his side against her. Lily turned, and threw her arms around the animal's neck. "I love you," She whispered.

""

James Potter was in some small form of Heaven.

""

Remus and Beth were making their way back to the dormitories when Beth decided that just going back there was a boring option. Slipping her hand back into Remus's she pulled him into the empty classroom they were passing.

"Beth, what's go-?" Remus started before he was cut off by Beth's plan. Remus involuntarily groaned into Beth's mouth before pushing her away softly. "Beth?"

"Remus, do me a favor please?" Beth whispered to Remus's neck and she pulled him into a tight hug and rested her head on his shoulder.

"What?"

"Just don't think." Beth told him, before dropping the small bag that held her notebook and pens, and kissing Remus's neck softly.

Remus sighed and wrapped his arms around Beth's waist. "Just let me ask a question first." Remus said, tickling the small of her back. She squirmed slightly in his arms before nodding. "What does it mean to muggles if someone's a milk carton?"

Beth stopped moving for a second. She thought about anything she could remember that her dad told her about milk cartons. The only thing that came to her mind was her dad instructing her not to drink straight from it. "I dunno, why?"

"It was just part of my dream, that's all." Beth shuddered, causing Remus to hold her tighter.

"Let's not think about those dreams, huh?" She kissed him again, and Remus promptly forgot all about his worry of milk cartons. Beth took a couple of steps forward, causing Remus to stumble backwards into the wall. After a moment or two, she pulled back to make sure he wasn't hurt from hitting the wall. Remus dropped his arms to his sides, and slid down into a sitting position at the bottom of the wall. With a dazed look, he smiled at Beth.

"Wow." He whispered. Beth laughed and sat on his lap.

"Do you know what I want for Christmas, Santa Clause?" Beth joked him, whispering right into his ear, causing all kinds of shudders to run down his spine.

"Oh, I can guess," he smiled. He leaned in to kiss her, but at the last second, he grabbed her sides, tickling her mercilessly. Beth squealed and jumped up as quickly as possible, running to the opposite side of the room. Remus cut her off, tripping her with his foot, and then he himself tripping over her foot, found himself down on the ground next to her. Beth turned to look at him and laughed.

"Oh, I love you, Remus Lupin." She giggled.

Remus pressed his lips squarely on hers, then broke off, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her right up next to him, whispering, "I love you too, Beth Micrada."

""

Sirius sat directly across the table from Sam, thinking of what he was going to do. The lack of her reflection was really nagging at him, but being Sirius, he could only think of drastic measures to get his point across. Suddenly, he knew what would be just drastic enough to fit him.

"I'm gunna tell her," He whispered to himself. "Sam?" he asked cautiously.

"Yeah?" Sam responded, not looking away from her doodle of a shaggy black dog.

"You, um, want to go for a walk?" She looked up at him, surprised to hear him stuttering, and even more surprise to see a faint blush crawling up his cheeks.

"Yeah, okay." She crumpled up her doodle in one had, and tossed it into the fire. They left the common room and made their way to the grounds.

"Follow me." Sirius said, slipping his hand into Sam's and leading her into the forbidden forest. When they reached a clearing, Sirius took Sam's other hand and turned to look her right in the eye. "What I am about to show you is a complete secret. You cannot tell another living or dead soul as long as you live, understood?"

Sam raised an eyebrow in question, but replied "Understood" never the less.

"Okay, shut your eyes."

Sam did as she was told, and after a few minutes she called out, "Sirius, can I open my eyes now?" When a bark answered her, she snapped her eyes open wide. There stood a shaggy black dog where Sirius had been just moments before.

"Oh my!" She whispered, completely in shock. She got down on her knees and look into Sirius's gray eyes. The dog's fur fell into them the same way Sirius's bangs hung over his eyes as a human. "Aren't you just so cute?" She said scratching him behind his ears. Sirius barked and Sam laughed. "Okay, this is a little weird." Sam said, "This dog was in my dream."

"Really?" Sirius said, returning to his human form. Sam jumped back, surprised by the sudden change.

"Yes, and now that I know that it's you, it makes a bit more sense."

"Care to enlighten me?" Sirius asked, brushing the dirt off of his pants.

"Well, In the dream, I promised myself that I would tell you before I went home for the summer, but that leaves me 27 more days. I've got plenty of time." Sam smirked.

"Or you could tell me now." Sirius suggested.

"Or, I could play with my new found pet!" She ran to the opposite side of the clearing and called, "Here puppy! Good boy!"

Sirius cast her and evil glance before transforming and pounding over to her. He leapt up, using his front paws to knock her to the ground. He laid down on her stomach, so she was unable to get up. Sam laughed and struggled to get the black mass of fur off her. "Bad dog! This is a no-no!" She struggled for a little while longer before giving up.

She looked up through the trees and saw the sun approaching the middle of the sky. She smiled as the combined powers of the sun and Sirius's fur kept her warm. She shut her eyes thinking, 'This is how life should always be.'

""

**There you go…Hope you enjoyed that…because god only knows when my next update will be.**

**Reviews are loved…**

**BEKAH**

P.S. I have now expanded my ownings to $23 and another peanut butter sandwhich...YAY!  



	18. Notebook Number 46

**Okay, since I have forgotten Beth's notebook three chapters in a row now, I would like to say sorry and make up to Beth by writing almost an entire chapter in the form of her Notebook. (Yes, I realize that I am a apologizing to a fictional character, and if you haven't realized I'm weird by now, you must not be reading to well, huh?) Anyway, away we go. **

**(Note: These are only excerpts of the notebook, Beth writes far too much for me to try and make it ALL up…)**

Monday, May 30, Notebook Number 46, 7:30pm

_Lily is going insane. She has lost her head in the clouds some where and its just dawning on her that exams will start June 6th, just next Monday. She has set-up a study schedule so rigorous that even I have trouble keeping up, and I love to read. Poor Sam has kind of been left in the dust with this one…Oh well, I think we'll survive. Anyway, I should run, Lily just jumped into a new book and Sam's fallen asleep, so I've got to sneak out to meet Remus before Lily notices I'm gone._

Wednesday, June 1, Notebook Number 46, 10:00pm

_It's that night again. Remus told me that he was going to spend the night in the hospital wing, some kind of flu or something, but I shouldn't come and try to visit him. And tomorrow morning when I go to Madam Pomfrey to get the news about Margaret, He'll be there, tucked away behind his silly little curtains to hide his cuts, and then on Friday he'll re-enter the real world and everyone will pretend that it never happened. Sometimes I get so angry with him, why can't he just tell me the truth. Anyway, I need some sleep, so goodnight._

Thursday, June 2, Notebook Number 46, 7:00am

_Margaret is fine. She scratched herself up pretty badly, and her dad is going to have to replace one of the walls in the basement because the two of them made a mess, but other wise, all is fine. Remus was hiding when I went in to the hospital wing._

Sunday, June 5, Notebook Number 46, 9:30pm

_The annual pre-exams party for the Ladies Fair is going on right now. Lily firmly believes that you shouldn't study the night before exams, and Sam firmly believes that any time Lily doesn't make them study, should not be spent studying. Lily is charming midnight blue highlights into Sam's hair and I've already got deep red streaks in mine. Lily is going to get soft blonde highlights over her red hair once she's finished with Sam's, then were all going to turn in, then show up to the exams with our multi-colored hair. Our 6 year running tradition has never failed to make sure we all pass our exams, so we dare not drop it now. Anyway, time to go help Sam with Lily's hair. Night._

Monday, June 6, Notebook Number 46, 5:30pm

_First exam went fairly well, but I really don't want to think about exams right now. Anyway, a couple days ago, Remus asked me about Muggles and what it means to be a milk carton. Well, I went back and searched my notebooks, and this is what I found. It's from Notebook Number 13, when I was seven years old._

_Copied from: Tuesday, July 7, Notebook Number 13, 10:00am_

Daddy and I were eating breakfast this morning when I decided to find out why there was a picture on the side of the milk. The details below the picture said that the little boy in the picture had been missing for 3 weeks. I asked Daddy why such a sad story was on the milk, and he said it was because almost everyone got milk, so almost everyone would be able to help look for this boy. I think I'm gunna keep an extra look out for the boy, because Mummy just had my new baby sister, and I would cry if Margie got lost. Especially since Margie has the same sickness as Step-Daddy that makes so we can't see them one night a month. Poor Little Margie.

_So, I dunno what was in Remus dream, but I have a feeling I shouldn't tell him that missing people have pictures on Muggle milk cartons…_

Wednesday, June 8, Notebook Number 46, 9:00pm

_I'm starting to worry. Thinking about Margie and Step-Daddy and their conditions makes me wonder if Remus is ever going to tell me about his. We've been friends for six years, we have been dating for over 5 months, and he says he loves me, but I guess he still doesn't think he can trust me. This isn't a good thing. _

Friday, June 10, Notebook Number 46, 6:00pm

_Margie sent a letter today. We're going to visit Step-Daddy's sister, Krissy, right after school gets out. Mom is picking me up right before the Farewell feast and taking us there. I'll make my final decision about Remus before then._

Wednesday, June 15, Notebook Number 46, 4:00pm Last day of My 6th Year

_No news yet, but Mum is here with Margie and Step-Daddy is already at Krissy's. I'm going to talk to Remus now._

""

"Sirius, Where's Remus?" Beth asked, coming down from the girl's dormitory.

"Upstairs, finishing packing," Sirius said distractedly as he doodled lightly on some spare parchment. Beth nodded and headed into the boy's dormitory.

"Remus?" She asked, pushing the door open a crack.

"Beth? Come in, come in." Remus looked up at Beth and rushed over to her. "What's wrong?"

"We need to talk." Beth whispered. Remus promptly sunk into his bed. Beth sat down next to him. "Remus, is there anything you're not telling me? Anything that as an important part of your life, I should know?"

Remus sat up straight. Either 1) He could tell her about him being a werewolf and risk losing her to the prejudices of his kind, 2) Make up something he could be 'hiding', or 3) try and convince her nothing was wrong. He personally like three, but if she already knew something, that could just make it worse. It was a lose-lose situation.

"N-no, I don't think there is anything I haven't told you." Remus stuttered, going with option three. _Besides the fact that I'm a demonic creature one night every month,_ he mentally added.

Beth looked him in the eye and nodded slightly. "Right, Remus, I really hate to do this, but I don't think we can be together anymore." She stood up and kissed him softly on the cheek before turning and sprinting out the door before she could start crying.

When she reached the entrance hall, Sam, Lily, her mum and sister were all waiting for her. Beth hugged Lily and Sam good-bye, whispering softly in their ears, "Remus and I are over." She took her sisters hand and gave it a squeeze, before crawling into the carriage her mom had borrowed to take them to her aunt's house.

""

Wednesday, June 15, Notebook Number 46, 4:15pm Last day of My 6th Year

_And just like that…it's all over._

**It had to happen guys :( Anyway, keep reading, were not done yet. **

""

The feast went well for a majority of the school. Remus didn't come down, sitting in his dormitory until it was time to go to ride to the train. Sam and Lily kept fairly quite around the marauders; as Lily was afraid that the Remus/Beth Break-up had caused a riff, and Sam had realized that she only had a matter of hours to keep her promise to her dream self. The train ride was quiet and awkward, even though the Ladies Fair and the Marauders sat in separate compartments. When they arrived at the station, everyone quickly parted to go their separate ways, James heading off alone, Lily following behind Petunia, dragging her luggage, Peter walking away with His Dad and Remus talking quickly with his father. Sirius started to walk out with Regulus to meet their parents up the street, when Sam called after him.

"Sirius!"

"Yes, Sam?" He replied spinning on his heel. She ran up to him and paused a second to catch her breath. When she looked up, she grabbed him around the neck and pulled him into a forceful kiss.

"Have a nice summer." She whispered breaking away, before running out of the station after her mom. Sirius stood there with his mouth hanging open. When he finally regained some sense of where he was, he turned to face Regulus

"Well, at least she's a pure-blood." Regulus shrugged.


	19. Summer Corespondences

_June 15, 1977_

Dear Potter,

Hey. Just writing to make sure you are okay, and to offer some friendship on your first night alone. Hope your feeling okay.

Love and Luck

Lily

_June 16, 1977_

Lily,

I survived the first night, but thank you for caring. Sirius had fulfilled his parents demands by staying in there house for one night, so he's coming to stay with me for the rest of the summer, so it's not that bad.

Love? Lily, I didn't know you cared!

Just kidding, of course.

Hugs and Kisses,  
James

_Still June 16, 1977_

Potter,

You're an idiot.

Lily

_Yet again, June 16, 1977_

Lily,

I kissed Sirius Black. At the train station. Just thought I'd let you know.

Sam

P.S. Forward this to Beth when you get her dad's new address, I can't afford an owl that would be willing to fly over the ocean.

_June 23, 1977_

Beth,

I hope your enjoying your summer, but that is not the point of this correspondence.

Obviously, you know I am hiding something from you, and I lied about it. I know that this shines me in an extremely poor light, but I'm hoping you can give me a second chance. Please, give me a time, anytime, that we can meet and I can explain myself to you. Please let me have this second chance. I truly screwed up.

Hopefully yours,  
Remus

_June 24, 1977_

Remus,

Sorry, but Elizabeth has gone to the U.S.A. to stay with her dad until August 1st. Don't worry, I didn't read your letter, and I will hold it for her until she returns.

Ellen Ashford

P.S. I am Beth's Mom, but she uses my maiden name, Micrada.

_Letter by Muggle Post_

_June 30, 1977_

Lily,

America is just as fun as it has been every other summer of my life. Daddy's dating some little think that's only 7 years older than I am, but I just find it funny because I can just see my dad getting angrier and angrier every second they are together. I think they'll split before I leave to come home. Anyway, I'm going to have my Back-to-England 'party' on the 2nd of August, so send a letter to Sam to let her know, and prevent her from making plans. See ya when I see ya.

Love from NYC,

Beth

P.S. Bring your Beatles Albums to my house when you come, Margie loves them.

_Another Letter by Muggle Post  
July 3, 1977_

Beth,

Okay, a month from yesterday is entirely blacked out solely for you. Apparently, Sam kissed Sirius at the train station after I left, so it'll be interesting when they are forced together again. I think I'll take a leaf out of the Marauder's book and try to find away to force them together. What say you?

Lily!

_Last Letter by Muggle Post_

_July 7, 1977_

Lily,

Alright, invite the Marauders to my Back-to-England 'Party', but you have to run interference for me, because I don't know how I'll react to seeing Remus again after what I did to him.

Beth

P.S. Dad is single again. I totally called that one.

_July 10, 1977_

Potter,

I'm inviting you and the other Marauders on Beth's behalf to come to her, back-to-England 'Party' on the second of August. Let me know if you plan on coming.

Lily

_July 11, 1977_

Sirius, Peter, Remus,

Read the attached, what do you think?

James.

_July 11, 1977_

James,

I'm just downstairs, why didn't you just come down and ask me. Anyway, it's cool with me.

Sirius

_July 12, 1977_

James,

Sounds good to me.

Peter

_July 12, 1977_

James,

See ya there

Remus.

_July 15, 1977_

Lily,

We're all coming, see you there.

James.

""

Beth stepped into her front hall and took in a deep breath. She loved spending time with her dad, but it felt so good to finally be back in her own home. She plopped down on the couch just in time to be tackled.

"Lizzie!" Margaret attacked her sister, "It's so good to have you home."

Beth smiled and pulled her sister off her. "Back-up, let me see you." Margaret obliged and stuck a pose for her half-sister. "Margie! Oh, your poor face." Beth exclaimed. Margaret had two thin red lines running from the bottom of her left ear to the tip of her chin.

"Yeah, Daddy and I got into a fight night before last. Mummy says it'll scar a little, but I got the best of Daddy!" Margaret smiled and Beth laughed, "Daddy!" Margie called into the other room, "Come show Lizzie how badly I beat you."

Beth laughed as Steven, her step-dad came wandering into the room. "Come on, Stevie-man, how badly did the nine-year-old get you?" Steven lifted part of his shirt up revealing five long gashes from near his belly-button around to the middle of his back. "Oh! Step-Daddy, she really got you!" Beth said, jumping up to examine the cuts.

"Don't you worry, Elizabeth, I cleaned up him just fine. Now you three will just have your pretty little scars." Beth's mom came into the room and Beth leapt up to give her a hug.

"Yeah, Sorry about that." Margie whispered and she took Beth's hand and gently traced her finger on the pearly white line that lead from the nail on Beth's right pointer finger back to her elbow.

"Oh, now, don't be sorry. If Elizabeth had listened to her mother, it never would've happened." Beth's mom smiled and as she pulled Beth's ponytail with one hand and gently ticked Beth's side with the other. "Now Elizabeth listens to her mummy."

Beth's Mother, Ellen, was a piece of work. Her hair was always pulled back into a sloppy ponytail with a quill stuck behind the elastic. Her hair was the bright blonde that both Beth and Margie had inherited. She and Steven made quite a pair, Ellen the never quite sure where she was going or what she was doing Mother, and Steven, the Outdoorsy man who could never be still. Beth always laughed when she thought of them together, Ellen and Steven Ashford, living proof that a woman absolutely terrified of Nature and anything with more than two legs, can live happily with a werewolf as a husband, and even to help raise one as a daughter.

Beth's mind faltered. Werewolves were not a happy subject, she decided, and since she was in a room with two of them, she felt it would be a good idea for her to retire to her room. Grabbing her bags, she started to make her way back to her room, when her mum stuck a scroll under Beth's chin. "A letter from while you were gone." She said before letting Beth go on her way.

Beth dropped her backs on the end of her bed and took the scroll out from under her chin. She recognized the handwriting of her name, and decided it would be for the best in her own mind if she didn't open it. Instead, she wrenched open one of her smaller bags and pulled out her notebook. She looked at the last few empty lines of Notebook Number 46. She quickly scribbled the date and time before writing; _I miss him,_ before sticking it in a book at the foot of her bed. She pulled out a new notebook off her desk, and with a thick black permanent marker, wrote on the front cover.

"Notebook Number 47."

""

Lily sighed as she threw another shirt into the bag she had packed to take to Beth's house. The phone was ringing again, which mean Lily would spend the next half hour listening to Petunia talk to her boyfriend going, "No, I love you more…No, I do. No, I definitely love you more," and then another half hour listening to them say, "No, you hang up first…no way am I hanging up first, you hang up first….no you silly," Lily threw her bag onto her bed and sunk into the chair near her desk hoping against hope that Petunia wouldn't talk that loudly.

"Lily, Phone!" Her mom called up the stairs. Lily sat up straight, confused. No one ever called her, ever. She made her way downstairs with out really knowing what she was doing.

"Oh yes, that sound absolutely wonderful. Oh here's Lily, it was so nice to talk you, call again anytime." Lily's mom turned to hand her the receiver, "Sweet kid," She said as Lily grasped the receiver with an odd look at her mother.

"Hello?" She asked cautiously.

"Hi Lily!" Came James's cheerful voice.

"James? Since when do you have a phone?"

"Since I moved here to Godric's Hollow. Gee, I like this phone thing, so much more fun than sticking your head through the fire."

"How did you get my number?"

"Sirius was pushing random buttons trying to get it to work, and found some number that gives phone numbers if you know the name. So the first muggle person we could think of was you and your family. Honestly, this phone thing is cool! More Wizards should have phones."

Lily laughed in spite of herself, and sank into the chair Petunia usually sat in for her increasing idiotic calls. "Honestly, the biggest and baddest of the big bad marauders, amused by the simplicity of muggle technology."

"Well, Sirius is amused by his own feet, so it really shouldn't shock you that he's this amused by a phone."

Lily laughed at his comment, and then laughed harder a minute later when Sirius realized what James had said.

"Honestly, Lily, we are sitting kilometres from each other, and still, I'm talking to you and you're talking to me, and its fun! I Love this phone!"

"How much do you love the phone?"

"I love this phone so much I want to know: Can this phone have my babies?"

Lily laughed again, and shifted to a more comfortable position in the chair. After an hour or two of listening to James declare his love for the phone, talking to Sirius briefly about how James is so much easier to amuse then he is, and then talking to James again about the freedom of having his own house, Lily noticed Petunia giving her glares from the other side of the room. She rolled her eyes and broke into James and Sirius' planning for installing phones into Hogwarts.

"Hey guys, I've got to go, my sister is expecting a call any time now from her boyfriend, so I should probably clear the line."

"Okay, Lils, we'll see you at Beth's?"

"Yeah, talk to you then."

Lily dropped the receiver back into place, and turned to Petunia. "It's all yours."

"Oh, you didn't have to get off." She said, her voice clearly revealing that she wanted her off, "I wouldn't want to cut your time talking to your boyfriend short. Who knew the freaks at your school could operate a phone."

"Potter isn't my boyfriend." Lily spat back.

"Oh please, you laughed every time he talked, you were always smiling, and you twirled your hair. Who do you think you're kidding?"

Lily opened her mouth again to retort, but she couldn't think of anything to say. "Potter's just a friend," She finally managed, "I don't even call him by his first name, so he's barely a friend at that." Lily stormed up to her room and plopped down on her bed.

"I don't like Potter." She mumbled before falling into a small cat nap before dinner.


	20. Questions

_**WARNING! There is a MAJOR cliff-hanger at the end of this chapter. Do not read this chapter until the next one is posted if you have problems with huge cliffies!**_

Beth sighed sitting on the couch with Margie.

"One more time, who's coming again?" Margie asked

"Lily," Beth supplied.

"The one with the Beatles Albums,"

"Sam,"

"The one who likes boys too much for her own good,"

"James"

"The one who would make a perfect match with Lily, if she would only see it,"

"Sirius,"

"The one who likes girls too much for his own good,"

"Peter,"

"The weird one who keeps getting weirder each day,"

"And Remus."

Margie kept her mouth shut about Remus. Beth had told her that they had dated and split-up, but wouldn't offer details, so Margie didn't push the matter. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before the fireplace erupted in green flames, and a six foot mass fell flat on his face.

"I'm okay." James said, standing up and moving away from the fireplace as it sparked green again, and another person appeared, this one managing to keep his balance much better. Beth stood up to help James and Sirius get the soot off of their backs. Once they managed to do that, Beth turned to her sister.

"James, Sirius, this is my half-sister, Margaret."

"Hello, Margaret." James shook her hand politely.

Margie flushed pink. "Y-you can call me…" Margie trailed off, staring at James.

"Margie, you can call her Margie." Beth supplied for her.

Margie snapped out of her daze, growing so Red her blonde hair seemed to be growing red as well. "Yeah, Margie. Only my mother calls me Margaret."

"Elizabeth, who's here?" Beth's mom came into the room, dusting floor off her hands. "Ahh, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, good to see you both. Spending the night?" Sirius and James turned to each other, and both shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" Sirius smiled.

"Okay then, you'll have to come with me to see the room you'll be sleeping in, and get the standard death threats from Elizabeth's Step-father." Sirius and James followed Beth's mother, thinking she was just kidding.

The second they were out the door, Margie turned to Beth. "Lily is insane! That boy is the best thing known to man."

Beth laughed, "Margie, you're nine!"

"That doesn't mean I don't have eyes." Margie replied as the door bell sounded.

"Lily's here!" Beth's mum called from the other room.

Steven cam back into the living room, James under one arm, Sirius under the other.

"You are smart boys, I'm sure you won't give me any trouble."

"No, sir."

"And you'll spread the message to your other little friends."

"Of course."

"Good boys." Beth smiled as her step-dad as he winked at her. Steven wouldn't hurt a fly, unless it made a move on his daughter, or step-daughter.

"Hullo Lily." James escaped from Steven's grip and made his way towards the new arrival.

"Hey, where's everyone else?" Lily smiled. Right on cue, the fire place sparked again, and Sam tumble out.

"Blug." She choked, spitting soot out of her mouth. "I despise that manner of travel."

Beth smiled and took Sam's bags, "I'll just take these up to my room." She attempted to take Lily's bag as well, but was unsuccessful.

"Here," Sirius grabbed the extra bags, and followed Beth to her room. It took them a couple of minutes to make their way up to narrow stairs with all the bags. By the time they made their way back downstairs, Remus and Peter had arrived as well.

"So…what do you guys want to do?" Beth asked trying to prevent the blush that was itching to crawl up her face at the sight of Remus.

"Well, we could go to the park." Sam supplied.

"Park?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's about half a kilometer walk from here. Its a little muggle park, lots of tress, a little pong, the whole nine yards." Beth shrugged.

"Sounds like fun." Peter added.

"Then let's go." Sam was the first out the door. Beth let everyone go out before her, and right before she left, her mom shoved a basket in her arm.

"Have a picnic," She smiled, "Margaret and me are going to have a girl's day out, but Steven will be here if you need anything."

""

The walk to the park was quiet and awkward. Beth's announcement about the picnic lunch sparked a small conversation, but that died out quickly. They laid the blanket down near the edge of the pond and started to eat in silence. After 10 minutes, Lily lost it.

"I can't take this anymore. The seven of us are friends; we should be open with other, not sitting here like idiots." Everyone turned and looked at her, but didn't say a word. "That's it, were playing questions."

"Questions?" James was the first to speak up.

"It's a game I played at sleepovers when I was little. One person is 'it', and everyone else gets to ask 'it' one question, and 'it' has to answer honestly."

"Okay." Sam said, glancing towards Sirius, "I'm in."

"Me too," James and Sirius added at the same time.

"Yeah, alright." Beth commented.

Remus and Peter hesitated. "Come on, guys, how bad can it be?" James whispered, and they both finally nodded their consent.

"We'll start with me," Lily said, "And then we go around the circle, alright?" Everyone nodded, and then thought for a minute, thinking up their questions.

Beth sat-up straight first, "Lily, what are you afraid of?"

"Being lost or confused. Not knowing where I am, what I'm doing, or what to do. And being lost and confused with no one to help me."

Sirius coughed and looked at Lily, "Then, why do you isolate yourself, romantically, I mean?"

"Another fear. The fear that I'll think someone cares for me, even loves me..." James shifted uncomfortably where he was sitting, "…then just drop me, leave me behind."

Peter looked at the ground as he asked, "What about death? Are you afraid of death?"

"Not so much of Death itself as dying before I do everything I need to get done."

"Why are you afraid that love will leave you?" James asked, looking Lily directly in the eye, causing her stomach to turn.

"I've seen my sister, heartbroken, crying when a boyfriend leaves her, and she's never truly even loved them if you ask me. What if I did truly love someone and I think that they love me, and then I'm left in the dump? Will I also be reduced to a sobbing lump of a being, never coming from my bedroom, unable to appreciate life?"

It was Sirius' turn. "Don't you feel you are stronger than your sister?"

"Not always. Sometimes I think I'm weaker because I want to hide behind my magic, run away from my troubles, but Petunia doesn't have that escape, she just has to stand-up and deal with them."

Remus faced Lily, "When have you hid behind you magic? Name one time."

Lily looked at her hands, interlacing her fingers together and then releasing them again. "When my dad first got sick back in 3rd year, I pushed head first into my studies and hexed anyone who mentioned my dad. Petunia had to stay at home, with him and mum, and face every second of it."

Everyone seemed to hold their breath for a second. Lily's turn was over, and not it was Beth's turn, and Sirius had the starting question.

"Okay, Beth, What are you the most afraid of?"

"Not being trusted, not having people confide in me, always being out of the loop."

Remus shifted uncomfortably this time. He had a feeling this was going to be an entire round of Remus Bashing.

"What's the worst secret someone could keep from you?" Peter asked.

"Not telling me who they really are, not letting me see all sides of them."

James glanced towards Remus, and realized what was going on, "If anyone were to lie to you, could they re-enter your good graces?"

"Possibly."

Sam also caught on to the fact that this was truly about Remus, even if she didn't know the actual reason. "And how could someone gain your forgiveness?"

"By admitting their lie and asking for forgiveness. I wouldn't promise anything but forgiveness maybe possible."

Everyone looked at Remus, who was looking at Beth with a furrowed brow. "And anyone can earn forgiveness, even someone who was a complete idiot?"

"If they play their cards right, yeah."

Lily summed it up, "Beth, do you still care for him?" No one had to ask who the 'him' was.

Beth's answer was so faint, it was barely audible. "Yes."

The awkward silence that looked was too much for Peter to bear, so he turned quickly to Sirius and asked, "What was the weirdest situation you've ever been in?"

"I was grabbed around the neck and forcibly kissed in the middle of a busy train station. Then the one who kissed me ran away." He looked at Sam, who turned red, but smiled and everyone else laughed.

James smirked, "And how did this kiss make you feel?"

Sirius smirked back, "Confused, a little dizzy, and incredibly turned-on."

Sam laughed, "So, it was a good kiss?"

"Oh, dear god, yes."

Remus forgot his own issues for a second to join in the teasing. "What do you think would have happened if the kisser had hung around a bit longer?"

"Delicate ears prevent my answer."

Lily looked at him curiously, "Whose delicate ears?"

"Sam's. She might go insane if she knew what wonders she might have had if she just stuck around a bit longer."

Beth finished the merriment up, "What does this mean for the two of you?"

"I dunno," An evil grin danced across Sirius' Face, "We'll just have to wait until Sam's turn."

Peter spoke up quickly as the laughter died down. "Don't bother asking me questions. I'm a compulsive liar." Everyone laughed a little, not because it was necessarily funny, but because they were shocked that Peter was attempting a joke. "But seriously, I've got some personal issues that I don't want brought up right now." He said nervously, rubbing his left forearm tenderly. No one pushed the matter, and instead, Sam turned to James.

"James, what is your favorite inanimate object?"

"Oh! My phone, most definitely." Lily fell over laughing.

Remus raised in eyebrow, "Your phone?"

"Yeah, my parents had a phone installed in the Godric's Hollow house so Mum could talk to all the neighbors who were muggles. Sirius and I figured out how to work it and called Lily. It was FUN!"

Lily sat-up, trying to recover from her laughter long enough to ask her question, "Have you figured out how to have the phone have your babies yet?"

"No, I think I'll just have to continue my genes some other way."

Beth smiled, "So you love your phone more than any other being?"

"Most other beings, yeah. A couple rate higher, my parents, my broom, and a couple others." James looked determinedly at anyone in the circle, except of Lily.

Sirius noticed this, and then asked, "Do you love people in this circle more than your phone?"

"Yeah, I'd say all of you rank higher than my phone. You guys are special."

Peter smirked, which looked extremely odd on his face, "Do you love any of us in a more significant way then the others?"

"Yes." James simply smiled, because his turn was over, so no one could ask him who it was.

Remus turned to Sam smiling, thinking this was going to be another fun round. "Sammy darling, what led you to kiss our young Mister Black here?"

"He's hot, and my dream from the Somnio Potion told me I should."

Lily raised an eyebrow, "Then why'd you run away?"

"Because I couldn't believe I had just done that, right in front of his brother and everything."

"Do you regret kissing him?" Beth asked casually.

"No, not after hearing what he said about it."

Sirius smirked, "If you could do it again, would you?"

"Oh yeah."

Peter let out a nervous little giggle, "Do you want to kiss him now?"

"Yeah, I really do."

James looked from Sam to Sirius and back to Sam again, "Who's stopping you?"

"I don't know." Sam said, pushing herself off the ground and standing up. She walked around the outside of the circle to where Sirius was sitting. Sitting softly on his lap, she gave him a kiss that was the exact opposite of their first kiss. The first kiss was forceful, rushed, and urgent. This kiss was shy, gentle, and nervous. The first kiss had been a statement, this one was a question. Sirius was glad to give Sam an affirmative answer, to the cheering of the other people sitting around the circle.

When the group had finally settled down, and Sam returned to her original seat, the focus redirected to Remus, the atmosphere tense.

Lily spoke softly, "Remus, do you know what you did wrong?"

"Yes," Remus looked intently at Beth, who was fiddling with a hole in the picnic blanket. "Beth asked me an important question which I was afraid to answer honestly, and because of that, I lied to her."

Beth couldn't bring herself to meet Remus's eyes. "Come back to me, I need to think of a question." She mumbled.

Sirius looked to Lily to see if that was okay, and when she shrugged, he asked, "What did she ask you?"

"She wanted to know if I was hiding something from her, something important. I told her I wasn't."

"If you could go back, what would you say to her?" Peter whispered.

Remus took a deep breath, and hoped that none of the girls were prejudice. "I would tell her that I am a werewolf." Lily and Sam gasped, and Beth's head snapped up, looking directly into Remus's eyes. "I've been a werewolf since I was four years old, when I was bitten by Fenrir Greyback."

Lily whispered, "Oh my,", Sam looked as if she was going to faint, and the other boys looked to the ground as if they had down something wrong, but Beth continued to stare intently into Remus's eyes.

"And why would you tell her that?" James asked.

"Because I love her, and these last seven weeks have been hell for me, just because I knew she was out there, but she wasn't mine anymore. I would do anything to get these weeks back, but since I can't do that legally, I'll just do everything possible to make this time end."

Sam was still looking very pale when she whispered, "If you love her, why didn't you tell her at time?"

"I was afraid, afraid she'd be scared of me, afraid she'd leave me, afraid she wouldn't want to be with me anymore, but I would rather have her leave on her own, then because of my stupidity."

Everyone looked anxiously to Beth. She had to ask her question, and then the game was done. The world seemed to hold it's breath as she opened her mouth.

"Remus…" She started softly, "…Will you marry me?"


	21. like a total like Dreamboat

"What?" Remus whispered.

"Will you marry me?" Beth Repeated.

"Beth, you're only 16." Lily interjected.

"And he's only 17." Beth added.

Peter mumbled something incoherently.

"You're both so young." Sirius commented.

"Marriage is a big step." James put-in.

"A Huge Step." Lily amended.

Remus and Beth ignored them all.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

Beth crawled over the picnic and kissed Remus so forcefully that he fell over backwards. She pulled off him and whispered, "I love you," In his ear.

"Are you two sure?" Lily asked

"Well, yeah." Remus said with a large grin on his face.

"Geez, Lily, I didn't ask him to marry me tomorrow. I just asked him to promise to marry me. We can take our time getting to the actual wedding part." Beth couldn't stop smiling as well, "Besides I'll be 17 in 7 days, so I'm only but so young."

Suddenly, Sam started laughing. "Beth and Remus are getting married." She whispered between laughs James started laughing, then Sirius, then Peter, then the couple themselves, then Lily.

"Why is this so funny?" Lily gasped as she tried to stop laughing.

"I don't know, but it's getting late." Beth giggled try to get a hold of herself. "We should head back to the house." Together, the gathered all of the stuff and headed down the path, the seven of them still laughing.

""""

Lily glanced around the living room. Remus and Beth had disappeared into the other room to snog each other senseless as a welcome to their new engagement, and Sirius and Sam were looking at each other as if they would get engaged just for the right to do so as well. Lily rolled her eyes and interrupted Peter and Margaret's conversation about who was more prejudiced against, vampires or werewolves, to prevent more engagements.

"Margie, did you know Peter is fascinated by Magical flowers? He loves Herbology, this kid, isn't that right, Peter?"

"Yeah, but why…"

"Margie, why don't you show him all those gorgeous flowers you and your mother grow? I loved seeing them last year. In fact, I think I'll come to see them again if you don't mind."

"Sure…okay." Margaret looked confused, until Lily elbowed James in the stomach.

"Margie was just going to show Peter and me the wonderful flowers she grows with her mother. You like Herbology, would you like to come as well?" She said elbowing him again.

"Ow! I mean, um, sure, lets go." James commented, confused.

As they walked out the back door, Lily turned to look at Sam, who mouthed, 'thank you!' before moving onto the couch Sirius was sitting on.

Once they were deep in the craziness that was any wizarding garden, James turned to Lily with that tell-tale smirk that Lily had come to dislike so much, because whatever came out of his mouth with that smirk on never bode well for her.

"I've been thinking, Lily darling."

"My, that is a shock," Lily retorted, though with a hint of a smile that would've never been there in years past.

"Now, Lily dearest, I've noticed that whenever you have the excuse to be separated from a couple of our friends, you separate yourself with me. "

"I don't know what you mean, Potter." Lily said, perfectly aware of his implications.

"Well, at my party, you danced with me on the pretense of getting Beth and Remus together, and now you have escaped into a garden with me on the pretense of letting Sirius and Sam be alone."

"Margie and Peter are with us, so I wouldn't consider this escaping into a garden with you."

"Yes, but you let them get well ahead of us, why, my dear Lily?" Lily bent over to smell one of the few muggle flowers in the garden, a beautiful red rose, to hide the fact she had no reason why she had let them get so far ahead. James shook his head, "Poor Lilikins, so smitten with me, and unable to admit her deep burning love."

Lily turned to snap at him but saw that his smirk had disappeared and he was simply smiling, a sign that he was only teasing, not making a true suggestion. ""Ha ha, you're a riot Potter."

"Yes, I know, but seriously Lily, if you did like me, or anyone for that matter, would you sneak away into a garden with him?"

"Maybe, but Maybe I would just lure him into thinking I would, and leave him hanging in an …_uncomfortable_… way."

"Really, Lily? I wouldn't think it of you?"

"Well, then you should know, I can be down right horrible to a boy."

"Oh, well, I believe that. Look how mean you are to me all the time."

"I mean to a boy I like, who likes me. I mean a different kind of horrible."

"Now, that I can't believe. What ever would you do to them?"

"Well, first I would get us isolated, just the two of us, then I'd take his hand…" She trailed off as she slipped her hand into his, bringing it up in front of her mouth and blowing softly, on each of his fingertips, then kissing each one. James looked in shock at his hand as she kissed it. He wasn't entirely sure if this was actually happening. Lily smirked slightly, then kissed the heel of his palm, before bringing his hand around her and stepping forward, placing his hand on the small of her back. She blew a soft stream of air from his collar bone up to behind his ear, and then followed the same path with small, soft kisses, while pressing her stomach against his. She stood up on her tip toes and whispered into his ear, "And after I've done all this I'd…" She kissed his ear softly, and brought her arms around to his back and waited a moment, breathing softly into his ear. A few seconds later, she heard a sharp intake of air from James, and felt on her stomach what she had wanted to achieve, desperately trying to ignore the butterflies jumping inside her stomach.

Stepping quickly out of the circle of his arm, she turned and smiled the very same smirk James had started this conversation with. "And finally, I leave them to contemplate what I did. Sorry to be so cruel, but you asked." She whispered, and hurried to catch up with Margie and Peter, denying the small voices in her head telling her to go back and finish the job.

""""

"She did what?" Sirius asked later that night, when the boys and girls finally separated to head to bed.

"Kissed me."

"Like, kiss-kiss, or _kiss-_kiss."

"She kissed my fingers, my hand, and my neck. She made _it_ happen, then left."

"She is cruel!" Sirius whispered.

"and you two sound like gossiping first-year girls." Remus interjected walking out of the bathroom.

"Like, Remus, Why don't you like tell me what it was like to be like with Beth? She is like a total like..._Dreamboat_." James said in a mock falsetto.

"And did you hear that James has a crush on that Lily Evans, can you believe it?" Sirius mimicked James voice.

"I soooooooo do not! Okay, so I do, but you've like got to keep it a total secret."

"Don't work, Hun, the lips are totally sealed."

"Oh, make them stop!" Peter groaned, sticking his head under the a pillow on the roll away cot he was on.

"Girls, I know you have so much more to talk about, but you'll have to wait until morning. Good night." Remus said sternly.

"Oh ho, listen to him." James laughed, returning to his natural voice, "Engaged for mere hours before he begins to train for the little Lupins of the world."

"Oh shut it, go to sleep." Remus said, turning over in his bed to face the wall.

"Yes, Daddy," The other three said together.

""

"Oh, Lily, that was horrible." Beth groaned with her head in her hands, "The poor boy likes you so much; that was just mean."

"He asked me how could I be mean, I was simply proving a point."

"And none of it was to release your own frustration for our poor James here." Sam asked a joke in her voice.

"No! Goodness, Sam! I get you some alone time with Sirius and this is how you repay me?"

"Seriously, Beth, don't feel bad for James, Lily was the victim here." Sam said, ignoring Lily.

"How so?"

"Lily was so intent on making the poor boy see how she was mean, she couldn't follow through in all the actions she has been secretly dreaming of her entire Hogwarts career." Sam smirked.

"I was not…I have not been…I…Honestly! Go to bed, it's late!" Lily turned over and pulled the blanket to her chin. Sam turned to Beth and whispered, "She's the victim." Before both girls giggled and crawled into their own beds.

""

**Sorry this is so short, I just wanted to get the answer out to you… :) please don't hate me for how long I made you wait…. : ) remember, Reviews are magic…**


	22. No no no no no no!

Beth's Notebook from Last Chapter

_Engaged. Engaged to Married. Elizabeth Anne Micrada is engaged to be married. Married to Remus John Lupin. Eventually, I will become Elizabeth Anne Lupin. I will be Elizabeth Anne **LUPIN**_. _Can you tell I'm just a little excited about all this? I mean sure, I proposed to him, and it wasn't nearly the romantic deal I dreamed of as a child, but I think this was more perfect in a way. Definitely, this has got to be one of the best days of my entire life…So far anyway. The hardest part of this whole thing…when are we going to tell Mom, Step-Daddy, Margie, and worst of all, **my father**? _

""

"No. No no no no no!" Lily let her head fall to the table next to her breakfast plate on top of her Hogwarts letter. Only Beth's Mother, Sam, Beth and Lily had woken up so far, and they all smiled happily when their letters were waiting by the breakfast, and even cheered when Lily's Head Girl badge had fallen out of the letter, that is, until Lily read the letter.

"I refuse to believe this." Lily said hitting the table again.

"Believe what?" Beth slipped the paper out from beneath Lily's forehead and read aloud, "Dear Ms. Evans, I am pleased to inform you that you have met the requirements and been chosen to be Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's Head Girl. The entire staff is sure that you and your co-head, Mr. James Potter, will keep the reputation of the Head Boy and Girl held high. Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore"

"Oh is that all?" Sam asked with a bored look on her face.

"Is that all! Is that all! How in high heavens does that boy deserve the Head Badge?" Lily nearly screamed.

"Quiet, dear, if you wake up Margaret, no one can save you." Beth's Mother smiled from the other end of the table.

Lily sat, fuming and ignoring her breakfast, while Sam dug into hers and Beth turned back to her notebook. After a couple of minutes, James wandered downstairs.

"Good morning everyone, what's for breakfast?" James smiled at Lily. Lily glared daggers at James before standing up and storming into the backyard garden.

"Dear god, I've only been awake for 10 minutes, what could I have done to upset her already?"

Beth looked at him, and offered him a weak smile of sympathy, "Just read your Hogwarts letter."

James ripped open the envelope and sighed. He pulled out the badge and scanned the letter that came with it.

James slammed the badge down on top of the table, before heading out side. "That's not my fault." He nearly yelled as he approached Lily. "I did not ask to be Head Boy, but I am. You can not get mad at me for being awarded something out of my control."

"I'm not." Lily said, rather unconvincingly.

"Yes you are." James said his voice dropping back down to a normal level. He looked her straight in the eye, and she looked back for only a couple of seconds before she buckled and looked away. "You just need an excuse to be mad at me don't you."

"What?" She turned back to him, but he couldn't help but notice she wouldn't look him in the eye.

"I personally don't make you mad anymore, so you create excuses to be pissed at me, excuses to drive me insane, excuses to do anything but like me and enjoy my presence, when in reality, you do not have a leg to stand on in your war against me." James smiled. "I'm right aren't I?"

"I have never heard a more ridiculous accusation in my entire life, James Potter. I do not have a war against you. Please keep your insane delusions to yourself." Lily said, turning her attention back to the bush.

James smiled, and made his way back inside for some breakfast.

"What'd you say?" Beth asked as James pulled the door shut behind him.

"Not much, but I learned a whole lot more." James sat down at the table, and pulled some eggs towards him.

"Really?"

"She doesn't hate me." James smiled briefly before shoving some eggs into his mouth. He swallowed and looked up at Beth again. "She won't admit that she doesn't hate me, but she doesn't hate me."

"I think I can get her to admit it, but you'll just have to do as I say." James nodded and filled his mouth with eggs once more while Beth picked up her notebook and made her way into the garden.

"Can you believe him?" Lily started as soon as Beth sat down.

"What do you want from the poor boy?" Beth asked.

"I just want him to leave me alone; I don't want to have to deal with him anymore." Lily threw hands into the air, exasperated.

"What if I can make that wish come true?" Beth said, opening her notebook and scribbling a few lines down.

"What?" Lily turned to Beth, who continued writing.

"What if I can get James to leave you alone, not talk to you unless he has to, not follow you around, nothing. He'd pretend you weren't even there."

"You could do that for me?"

"Yup."

"Thank you, Beth. Oh that would be wonderful." Lily smiled, and gave her best friend an awkward hug, as Beth was still writing. Lily went inside, ignoring James and smiled all the way up to the room she was staying in.

Beth smiled as well, and scribbled more into her notebook.

_Everyone heads home tonight, so the plan won't really take effect until school starts again, but once it does, I give Lily 2 weeks before she admits that she enjoys having James around. Maybe even that she harbors more than platonic feelings for our young Potter here. But, perhaps that is simply being to optimistic. The real trouble of this plan is getting James to stay away. It's going to kill him to try, but I'm sure his efforts will be well rewarded. _


	23. He was her Stag, literally

Lily smiled and waved to her parents as she leaned causally into the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. She ran up onto the train and made her way down to the back compartment, where Beth and Sam had with Remus and Sirius respectively. James sat in the seat closest to the door, with Peter on his other side. He smiled at her briefly before turning and looking back out the window that led into the hallway. Lily smiled once more, and sat down next to Beth.

Just as Beth had promised, James had left Lily alone. Since Beth promised to get him to leave her alone, he simply said "Goodbye, Lily" as her mother came to pick her up, and she hadn't heard a word from him since.

"Time to go," James stood up as the train whistle began to blow. James made his way toward the front of the train, with Lily and Remus following in his wake.

""

James was dying. Several times over the last month of the summer, he started a letter to her, or picked up the phone and started to dial. But he knew that Beth was a smart girl, and that her plans usually worked. Even though he knew that, he still wasn't entirely happy about it. He pushed open the door to the prefect car fiercely, startling some of the Prefects.

"Hullo," He smiled apologetically as Lily and Remus came in behind him.

James sat down in a seat closest to the window as Lily began to talk. He stared out the window to the passing scenery, silently daydreaming that Lily would call off this promise thing and admit her dying love for him. When the real Lily said his name, he jumped nearly a foot out of his seat.

"James, do you have anything to add?"

"Well…um…just respect the authority your badge gives, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me or Lily. We're here to help." James sat back down and looked out the window again as he heard the mumbles and shuffles of the prefects leaving the compartment and heading back to all of their friends. James looked away from the window to see Lily straightening up from where the younger prefects had discarded crumpled note pages. James wanted to start a conversation so badly, but then he was struck with a sudden thought.

He was her Stag, literally.

He smiled, and glanced at Lily, before pushing out the door and heading towards the Marauder's cabin, thinking that this wouldn't be quite as bad as he first assumed.

""

Lily looked around as the door clicked shut. James had left. Lily frowned briefly, looking at the door, before she shook her head and smiled for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day. Nothing could make her miss James Potter. She determinedly made her way down to the end of the train, and sat silently staring out the window for the remainder of the ride.

""

Dinner had barely ended when the good mood the arrival at school had ended. A silent black owl flew down to Dumbledore, a black envelope in its beak.

"No," James whispered and Lily snapped her head towards him, shocked by the fear in his voice.

Dumbledore handed the envelope to Professor McGonagall, while whispering in her ear. The entire hall grew silent, eyes following the Professor as she made her way toward the Gryffindor table. When she stopped by a fourth year girl and handed her the letter, the hall was quiet. The girl removed the letter from the envelope, read it quickly and began to bawl. Professor McGonagall helped usher her out of the hall, and the entire crowd, minus one person, watched them go. Only Lily Evans was watching a solitary tear run down the cheek of James Potter.

""

"How horrible," Beth whispered, sitting at the end of her bed.

Lily nodded, and glanced toward Sam, who was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "We'd heard rumors over the summer, but seeing it…." Lily stopped short, shuddering.

"Lord Voldemort's a Bastard." Sam said her voice monotone. "Enough people lose their families from illnesses or ac-accidents." Her voice cracked with hidden tears as she said, 'Accidents'. "Why does he have to go around making it worse? First James's Parents, now other innocent children."

Lily nodded and mumbled her goodnights, pulling the curtains closed around her bed. She lay there, unable to fall asleep until late into the night, because every time she shut her eyes. She saw either James crying in the unused classroom last spring, or the single tear on his cheek merely hours before.

""

The first week of school passed with extraordinary changes to the years past. Beth and Remus were panicking and plotting, because on the first Hogsmeade weekend, they were meeting with Beth's mom, dad, step-dad and half sister as well as with Remus's parents to announce their engagement. Sirius and Sam would disappear for hours at a time, and when asked about it, Sam would simply say it was a common side effect of _Puppy_ love. Peter was constantly disappearing with no explanation as to why, and James was ignoring Lily, much to both of their dismay, although neither of them would break down and admit it.

Friday night, Lily finally got a break from school and Head Girl duties, and desperately escaped into the forest, running towards her meeting place with the stag. He appeared about ten minutes after she sat down, sneaking up behind her and tapping her softly on the back with his nose. She turned and gave him a great hug and whispered in his ear, "Oh, how I've missed you." The stag lay down on the ground, and Lily leaned her back against him.

"Okay, here's the problem," Lily started in a strong voice. "There is this kid, that I think I might like more than I want to admit, but I'm afraid to like him. I mean, he's not the best influence, and I'm still not entirely sure I can trust him, so…" Lily laid her head back against the animal's stomach and looked to the sky. "But I miss him, I'll admit that. I miss him."

James smiled; the plan was beginning to work.

""

"What if they don't like me?" Remus sighed, sitting across from Beth in the library.

"What do you mean? Of course they'll love you." Beth smiled without looking up from her notebook.

"But what if they don't love my…condition?" Remus whispered.

"Well, Mom would be a hypocrite if she didn't, and Margie and Step-Daddy don't care, trust me, and as for Dad, well, he'll just have to get used to it." Beth smiled, looking up at Remus, and laughing at his confused look, "My mother married a Werewolf by the name of Steven Ashford, and they had a daughter named Margaret Ashford who inherited his condition."

Remus looked shocked. "Really?"

"Yes, really. How do you think I figured out you were one? I noticed you disappearing around the same time as I would be worried about Margie and Step-Daddy, and then the unexplained injuries. One plus one equals two, Remy dear."

"Yes well. Still, I'm nervous about this whole thing. Your family has to love you, but they have every right to hate me."

"Remus, I have two extremely time-tested words of advice for you."

"Yes"

"Calm down."

"Easy for you to say."

"You know what," Beth slammed her notebook shut, "Follow me; I've got something that will take your mind off of talking to my parents."

"Oh yeah, and what is that."

"Oh…you know." Beth laughed as she headed out the door, with Remus in her wake.

""

Beth's Notebook

_Well, here it is. The plan is working, and I know this because Lily is looking absolutely miserable. I hope she cracks soon though; it is rather depressing to see her in this state. As for Remus, he's a wreck. It's kind of cute though, that he's so determined to make a good impression for my family. Though I don't think he has anything to worry about. My family has known for a very long time that I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and they know better than to get in my way when I want something, and I want Remus Lupin. In more way than one…but that just might be a little TMI._

**Well, there you have it….A Chapter**

**SHAMELESS PLUGGING! Go read a story by my friend and I, titled 'I just don't get it' by the pen name Paddy-and-remmy. PLEASE read it, cause we only have one review over there and its making me sad…**

**  
Also…review here to please : ) **


	24. If there is one way that is the worst

"If there is one way that is the worst way to be woken up, it's being shaken frantically." James voiced this opinion as he was woken from dreams of Lily admitting she loved him again and again in this manor.

"James!" Beth's voice hinted a bit of panic, "We can't find Lily, she's gone."

"What!" James sat bolt up right, his eyes drilling into Beth's for any hint of a joke. When he found none, he crawled quickly out of his bed and pulled a bathrobe over his pajamas. "What do you mean, 'She's gone'?"

"I mean, Professor McGonagall asked to see Lily in her office around 8 o'clock, and we haven't seen her since."

James led the group down the staircase to the common room, conjuring small passes from thin air and handing them to Peter, Sirius, Sam and Beth. "Permission to be out of bed after hours," He offered as explanation, "Look in each classroom we pass, used or unused, her hair should make it easier for us to see her, but she could be hiding from us, so make sure not to rely solely on her hair color to find her."

Beth and Sam were shocked to hear this new commanding tone from James, but Remus, Sirius, and Peter knew that anywhere that Lily was involved, this is how James was.

They went down several corridors searching classrooms franticly, before finally Remus yelled, "Here!" and the entire group pilled into a small unused classroom.

"Lily, Dear god, are you alright?" Beth ran over to her.

Lily looked up at them perfectly composed, except for her eyes, which we red and puffy.

"What? Yes, I'm fine, I just stopped to read, and lost track of time. Yes, that's all." She was lying through her teeth, and they all knew it. "Just go back to bed, and I'll finish this chapter and be up in a minute." Beth and Sam nodded. Now that they knew Lily was safe, they could tell she needed a bit more time alone. They left the classroom, and almost everyone filed out behind them. Lily still sat in the corner, and James stood in the half-shadows near the door.

"James?" she asked softly.

"Do you know how I panicked?" James asked calmly, "Do you know what horrible thoughts passed through my mind as I heard Beth tell me that they couldn't find you?"

Lily flinched as if she had been smacked. His calm, collected tone was even worse than if he had yelled at her.

"James, I…"

"They're gone, aren't they?" He whispered, his tone becoming slightly gentler.

"Yes. A drunk driver hit them coming home from one of mum's book club meetings she always took dad to."

"And Petunia?"

"Safe on a date with some Dursley guy."

James nodded and simply continued to look Lily straight in the eye. Lily looked back and watched as, the second time in the month, a single tear fell from his eye.

"Oh, James!" Lily cried and ran to him. She grabbed him in a huge hug. He hugged back for a brief moment, before leading her back into the common room.

But, there, he gently pulled her arms from around his neck. "I made a promise to Beth." He whispered, before making his way up to the boy's dormitory.

Lily thought about the promise, dried her eyes, and made her way back up into her own dormitory.

""

Lily was determined to be strong. She hasn't been made head girl for nothing. She kept telling herself that if she just got that one more perfect essay, if she just kept her smile on for one minute more, if she just managed to master that one new spell, then the work world would right itself again. That's how she carried on for the next few weeks, pushing herself just a little harder each day. She ignored Beth and Sam's worried looks, and denied their request to sit and talk about it. She ignored the marauder's altogether, except for when she was required to work with James for head duties.

Then finally she woke up on a bright October morning, exactly a month after her parents died. She sat on her bed, silent and motionless. Sam and Beth stopped getting ready to look at her, and she looked back at them.

"My parents are dead." She said causally. Beth and Sam looked to each other and then back to her, and simply nodded.

Lily stood up and got dressed, her mind racing a mile a minute. Petunia had written to say they weren't having a funeral and she just had some of their parents' closest friends over in memory. They had been cremated as per their wishes, and their ashes were in an urn at Number 4 Privet Drive. They had left everything in the and including the house to Petunia, save for the objects in Lily's room, and left Lily a decent sum of money to help her get started after she got out of school. Lily stopped in the middle of braiding her hair. Her parents were taken care of, her sister could take care of herself…what was missing? Something wasn't right, and Lily couldn't figure out what it was. Lily did she know, Sirius would straighten it all out for her.

""

Lily was working as hard as she could on her potions essay with a distracted mind later that night, when she heard three words directed at her that she had hoped she would never have to hear.

"You're a Bitch."

Lily looked up from her essay to see that everyone had gone to bed except for Sirius and herself.

"I beg your pardon?" Lily said her face growing red.

"You're a bitch." Sirius repeated, cool as a cucumber.

"Oh! And what exactly have I done to deserve such a title?"

"What you're doing to James, what you're doing to yourself."

"Excuse me, but what I do to either James or myself is none of your business."

"Oh, I beg to differ, Lilikins." Sirius said, his voice beginning to rise. "James is my best mate, practically my brother. And you're killing him."

"I am not!"

"You are! All James wants is to be near you, be a part of your life. But you ripped him away and made him promise to keep away from you. He's never done anything to you…oh no, wait, I forgot. He fell in love with you."

"Love…?"

"I'm sorry that he thinks your perfect, and I'm sorry that he would give his life for you, and I'm sorry he would change the world for you, but I'm mostly sorry that he grew up and matured faster than any of us because you told him to, and you are too damned stubborn to see it!"

Sirius stopped, winded from his rant. "I'm sorry I have to say it," He whispered, "But you need to hear it. You're a bitch." He turned and made his way up to the boy's dormitory.

Lily sat perfectly still in her seat for a minute. Her parents were taken care of; her sister could take care of herself, but who was going to take care of her?

Lily leapt from her seat and ran quickly from the common room to the owlery.

""

**Sorry, I know its short, and Sorry, I know its been long between updates, but that's because I've been on vacation and had no internet access, I'll try to do better next time I promise. **


	25. Do you hate me now?

James swung his feet of his bed. He hadn't been able to sleep properly since Beth had shaken him awake a month ago. He was considering sneaking down to the kitchens for a midnight snack when he heard a soft tapping on the window. He crossed to the window to see a school owl outside. Opening the window, James let the owl in, took the letter and watched the owl fly back outside for its hunt. Unrolling the letter, James read the hastily scribbled note.

"If I know you like I think I do, then you're still awake. Please meet me in the RoR. I'm sorry. Lily"

James looked around the room at his fellow marauders, before grabbing his invisibility cloak and running out the door.

""

Lily stood gazing around the room of requirement, which was set-up similarly to the way it was set-up when James had asked her to teach him with those lessons all last year. She bit her lip nervously and sat on the couch. She thought she heard the door open, but when she turned it was still shut and no one else was there. She took a deep breath and then slowly began to cry. She shut her eyes tightly and wished for some kind of comfort. When she opened her eye, the wall had turned into a sort of movie screen, and the times she met with the stag were flashing along the wall. She stepped up right next to the wall, and placed her hand on the picture of the creature's neck.

"You know that boy I kept talking to you about?" she asked the picture, "I think I ruined that. I screwed it all up." She buried her face in her hands and began to cry harder. Then she heard hoof beats. She blinked her eyes open to see herself near the lake, where she usually met the stag and the stag was standing there in front of her. She sat up and hugged him around the neck. The stag sat there for a second before he shuddered and pulled away. Lily looked at the animal, confused, and then she noticed him pawing at the ground. She saw written in the dust, the words, "Please don't hate me."

"How could I hate you? You've been a good friend." Lily was still rather confused, but she looked down as the stag wrote a second message.

"Turn around." She turned her back to the animal, and then heard a faint magical pop.

"Do you hate me now?" Lily spun around and faced James Potter, even more confused then before. After a few seconds, she began to laugh.

"Prongs! I get it!" She chuckled.

"So you're not mad?" James asked hesitantly.

"No, I'm pissed. I just get it now. Prongs equals stag, and Moony equals werewolf. So Padfoot equals…"

"Dog."

"And Wormtail…"

"Rat."

Lily laughed again, sitting on down onto the ground.

"So, how mad are you?"

"Well, I suppose I'm not really mad. Amazed that you could become an Animagus when your only 17."

"We were 15."

"15," She corrected, "And a little betrayed that my stag friend isn't actually a stag, but not really angry."

"Okay." James rocked on his heels for a second, "So, why did you ask me to come here anyway?" James asked the still slightly laughing Lily.

"Oh, right! I learned something else today." Lily smiled and stood up, dusting the dirt off her back.

"Oh?"

"Yes."

"Well…"

"I love you."

"You…wait…what?"

"I Love you."

"And how did you figure this out?"

"Sirius yelled at me, and called me a bitch."

"And because of that, you decided you loved me."

"Pretty much yeah."

James stared at Lily in shock for a few minutes before a scowl set on his face.

"Ha ha ha. Very funny guys, come out. How much did they pay you to do this, Lily?"

Lily rolled her eyes and did something that shocked James to his very core. She yanked on the front of his robes and pulled his face down to her level.

"I love you, no prank." She whispered before pressing her lips down onto his. When she let him go, he stepped back, and realized the room had returned to the way it had been set up when he first entered under the invisibility cloak.

"Wow." He whispered. He sat down on the couch and sat perfectly still for about five minutes before Lily cracked.

"James? James, are you okay?" James merely continued to sit there. "James, come on, say something, do something." Lily sat down on the couch next to him.

James turned to her and looked at her. A silly, sick sort of smile crossed his face. He turned and pinned her down on the couch. "You love me, you mean it."

"Yes…" Lily said hesitantly. James let out a small whoop of victory and began to show Lily just how happy he was with a kiss.

""

"Oh, honestly! This woman is going to be the death of us." Beth sighed as she rolled over in bed and saw that Lily's bed remained empty yet again. Sam rolled off her bed and pulled a bathrobe around her before following Beth down the stairs and back up the stairs into the boys' dormitory.

"James?" Sam leaned towards his bed, but when she pulled the covers back, the bed was empty.

"Sam? Is that you?" Sirius whispered, pulling his curtains out of the way, "What are you doing?"

"Lily is missing again. And now James is as well." Beth supplied.

"Really?"

"No, were lying. Yes really." Sam all but snapped.

"Are they missing…_together_…do you think?"

"What? OH! Eww! Sirius!" Sam smacked Sirius over the head.

"Hey, just suggesting."

"Well, how about we give them until morning?" Beth suggested, glancing toward James's disheveled trunk.

Sirius looked at it as well, and noticed James invisibility cloak missing. "Yes, if their not back by morning, we'll panic."

""

Lily and James had wasted no time christening their new found relationship. Lily giggled as their snogfest quickly made its way from the couch to the floor with a loud _thunk_, as they found out the hard way that the couch was smaller than they thought.

"Ow." James whispered as he pulled away from Lily. "That hurt. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine James."

"So, what do you want to do now?"

"Why change the course of something that has been going so well?" Lily whispered as she leaned in to kiss him again.

James laughed, partially convinced that any second he would wake up, and this would all be a fleeting memory, but partially convinced that this would be the happiest day of his life.

Suddenly, their kiss was yet again interrupted by thud, but this time it was caused by neither of them. When they sat up and looked over the couch, they saw a bed that seemed to have fallen from the roof of the room.

James jumped away from Lily as if he had been burned. "I swear to god, I was not thinking about that."

Lily looked to the ground with a nervous chuckle, a blush crawling up her face.

"Lily? No…sweet innocent little Lily was thinking indecent thoughts about her boy friend on the first night of dating?" James teased.

"Hey! I was just wondering what it would be like, not suggesting we 'find ourselves a nice little closet and _really_ get to know each other.'"

"I never said that!"

"Yes you did. Beginning of 5th year, the third time you asked me out."

"Did I really?" Lily nodded. "I am so sorry. However can I make it up to you?"

"Tomorrow you can make it up to me. It's getting late, and we should head back."

"Do we have to?"

"Yes. Now come on Mr. Head boy, its time for bed."

**Sorry Sorry Sorry! I know, I'm evil and demonic and it took so long and it's kind of short, but I'm working as fast as I can. This is the craziest summer I've ever had! I'm doing my best and I'll get the next one out faster, I promise!**

**I know I'm in no state to ask you guys for anything…but we're so close to 500 reviews, do you think we can make it?**


	26. Oo Dirty

**I know I know, you all hate me for not updating in ages, and I'm really really reallllllllllly sorry! This is just a crappy little chapter to get out there and see if people are still interested. However, beggers can't be chosers, so I'm only gunna ask for 5 measly reviews to see if this is worth continuing. **

**Sorry its been so long…read up read up…**

The News spread around Hogwarts like a fire. Lily Evans and James Potter were finally a thing!

The rumors grew and grew, Lily had declared her undying love for James and James, Lily was the one to ask him out, Lily was drugged with a love passion so she finally succumbed to James, they met up in the room of requirement and made loved the whole night long.

"They did what!" Lily looked at Sam in shock when she reported the most recent rumors.

"I'm just reporting the facts, no need to jump on my case." Sam threw her hands in the air. "But I must know…what did happen last night?" Sam glanced at Lily across the table, who immediately dove into a book.

"James and I met up for head duties, where he asked me out and I finally decided to give him a shot."

"Annnnd…" Beth smiled and leaned across the library table.

"And nothing." Lily said, barely able to hide her smile, turning back to her book.

"If it was nothing, why won't you tell us what you were doing last night?" Sam jumped in.

"I told you, I decided to give James a shot while we were doing head duties."

"Oo. Dirty." Sam smirked. Lily turned and hit her softly over the head with her book.

"We know your lying to us, so why don't you just tell the truth."

"How do you know I'm lying?"

"Please, you don't think we haven't noticed your trying to hide that all day." Beth reached over and pulled Lily's collar down revealing a small little bruise on her neck.

"Well, I'll be, Miss Micrada. Do have the faintest idea what that appears to be?"

"Why yes, Miss Sercose, I have a good idea of what that appears to be."

"A Hickey." They whispered together. Lily face grew red, signaling the truth.

"And who do you suppose would have given our lovely Miss Evans a hickey, Miss Sercose?"

"Well, I have an idea to who must have given our lovely Miss Evans a hickey, Miss Micrada."

"James Potter." They whispered together.

"Okay, okay, enough." Lily whispered.

"So you'll tell us?" Sam whispered, a happy smile crawling across her face. Lily carefully set her book down and sat up straight to look at the other girls.

"No!" She said quickly and she jumped up and started to run.

""

"Honestly, is she good?"

"I mean you know what they say about red-heads."

"Come on, Jamesie-poo, spill the goods."

"I will not. Now stop bothering me!"

"Jamie got a girlfriend, Jamie got a girlfriend, Jamie got a girlfriend, Jamie got a girlfriend!" They all started to chant. James took that has his cue to leave, as he quickly made his way out of his dormitory.

On his way to the owlery, he heard the frantic footsteps of someone running down the corridor. He waited to see who it was and to tell them off, but he was surprised to see Lily come whipping around the corner like hell was after her. He grabbed her as she ran by. "Lily?"

"Sam and Beth. Their prying."

James nodded and pulled Lily into a cupboard that was at the end of the hall, and listened to the other footsteps just rush by them.

"Well, that was close." Lily smiled, cracking the door open and peaking into the hallway.

"No, Lily dear, this is close." James pushed the door shut, and stepped right up next to Lily, who was thankful for the darkness to hide her blush.

"Now, James, I am terribly angry with you. It is your fault I am currently hiding from my two best friends."

"And it's your fault that I am currently hiding from my three best friends."

"Yes, but you could deny everything if it so struck your fancy. I however, and this unsightly purple bruise that I felt people were staring at all through class today."

"Oh, yeah, I saw that today. Sorry about that one and I don't think any more then 30 people actually saw the hickey, everyone else heard it through the grapevine." James whispered.

Lily smirked, and then hit James in the stomach, before pushing the cupboard door open and making her way down the hall. James barely missed a beat before falling into step with Lily's fast pace. "Honestly Lily, were a couple now. People should get used to seeing previously unspotted signs of affection on the lovely miss Evan's skin."

"Watch what you say, or you could be single once more."

"In less than 24 hours? My, that would be a record."

"Jerk."

"Know-it-all."

"Bullying toe-rag."

"Bitch."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

**Okay, Okay…Sorry so Short, Sorry so Sucky…I'll see you guys in a little while…**


	27. all about them

"It's sick, really. No one should be that cutesy." Sirius was lying flat on his back in the middle of the clearing where he first revealed Padfoot to Sam, talking about Lily and James' month old relationship.

"Oh, we're that cutesy." Sam smiled, her head resting on Sirius' Stomach.

"We are not!" Sirius began to play with Sam's curls.

''Sirius, We are lying in the field where you first shared your secret with me in the middle of freaking December merely because it was six months ago that I grabbed you in the train station and kissed you."

''Okay, so we are a little cutesy."

"Sirius."

"Okay, Fine. We're cutesy."

"""'"

"Beth?"

"Yes, Remus?"

"Am I ever going to get to read the rest of the story that you let me read part of?" Beth looked up from her notebook and across the library table to her fiancée.

"I dunno. You've never asked to read it again. I kind of thought you forgot about it." Remus kind of nodded, not really sure what that meant. "Let's make a deal. I'll let you be the first to read it if you wait until l finish the next draft. Deal?"

Remus smiled. "Deal.''

"Remus?"

"Yeah Beth?"

"Do you know who I based those characters on?"

"Lily and James?"

"I am so glad they got together."

"""'"

"I got believe that Potter would soil his pure-blood line with that filthy mudblood."

"Honestly! Of all the Mudbloods, Evans is not the one to pick."

"Yeah..." Peter muttered from behind his white mask, looking around at the Slytherins.

"Well, in a way it works out." The tallest of the hooded men, who Peter expected was Locus Malfoy, stood up, ''As you all should know, The Dark Lord wants as much pure blood in his ranks as possible. The Potter family is as pure as they come. Pettigrew here has being feeding us information about Potter, but now we have an easy in. Get the mudblood, Potter is putty in our hands." Peter let out a barely audible whimper.

"""'"

"James...James!" Lily pushed James hard in the chest, knocking him away from her, ''Stop for a minute" James made a face and Lily couldn't help but laugh. "It's okay. I just need a breath."

"Fine." James fell back onto the couch.

"What do you suppose everyone else is doing?"

"Oh, probably the same thing they've been doing for the past month or so."

"Which is...?''

"Talking about the most interesting couple in all of Hogwarts. James Potter and Lily Evans."

"No..."

"Oh, but they are Lily-Darling. We are the talk of the year. Not only is it the Head-boy and Head-girl that are madly in love, but it is the girl who swore to die before dating me that I was just a moment ago snogging in the Room of Requirement."

"James!''

"Well, it's true. In fact, I think it's something we should consider doing again soon in the near future."

Lily rolled her eyes and just smiled, "This is what I agreed to date. What is wrong with me?"

"" ""

**Just another short little thing to try and tie you over until I can find the time to just sit down and work for a while…School is torture….bah**


	28. Happy Christmas

Sirius, Remus, and James all looked at one another, and then sighed. They knew that this would happen. When they got involved with the Ladies Fair, they knew that they would be dragged unwillingly into a whole serious of traditions that they had never followed nor cared to follow, and even a few they had never heard of because they were solely unique to the three girls they had so proudly declared their girlfriends. They all knew what the others were thinking, and they all were as shocked as the others to find themselves thinking it.

Peter was the smart one. Christmas season approached, so when ever those girls came near, he fled. He even found away to sleep outside of the dormitory if the girls formed a late night plan. Sirius, Remus, and James were the ones unhappily stuck in the center of all the girls Christmastime joy.

And that was exactly why the three boys found themselves sitting in the middle of their dormitory with their respective girlfriends, trying to understand the purpose of this Christmas tradition.

"Hey, hey! Open your eyes!" Lily pinched James' cheek as he started to nod off.

"It's 6:30 in the morning, and I haven't had a wink of sleep." James muttered.

"And you can't fall asleep until 7:00. It's the rule." Beth scolded, pushing Remus over as he started to drift as well.

"Why? Why is this 'the rule'?" Sirius asked, whiny with his lack of sleep.

"Because we stayed up until 7:00 our first year here and got everything we wanted for Christmas. Why shatter good luck like that?" Lily laughed.

"Plus, if you don't stay up with us, you won't get your presents." Sam teased in a sing-song voice.

"Presents, Presents are good." James whispered, and Remus nodded in agreement, while Sirius simply fell over, his head resting in Sam's lap. It was only a few minutes later that loud snores filled the air, and Sirius was out. Lily and Beth stood up, wrapped their bathrobes tighter around themselves, and then helped lug Sirius up into his bed. By the time they had successfully hauled the boy into a position where he wouldn't wake up in pain, it was 5 minutes until seven, with Remus and James fighting extremely hard to stay awake. Finally, pity set in on the girls' heart and they led their respective men to their beds.

"Present?" James whispered as Lily took off his shoes and spun his legs up onto the bed.

"When you wake-up." Lily whispered back, and James shut his eyes.

""

James blinked his eyes open and smiled. It was Christmas. He loved Christmas. He wondered how much of Christmas he had slept away after the girl's all night tradition. He blinked again as his senses started to come back to him and he realized that his left side was significantly warmer than his right. When he went to find the reason for said phenomena, he was met with a mass of red hair.

"Lilly?" His voice scratched from sleep.

Lily rolled over a little so she wasn't right next to him anymore. She blinked a few times and seemed to get her bearings before smiling at James' confused look. "Happy Christmas, James."

"Good present." James smiled, relieved that she didn't freak out on him.

"Oh, it's only going to get better today." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before sliding out of bed and making her way back to her own dormitory.

""

"You guys honestly left me there all night?"

Sam and Beth looked over as Lily as she entered the room and smiled guiltily. "You said you were gunna lay down." Sam mumbled

"Yeah, and you said you would wake me up when you guys left."

"But, oh Lily, you two were so cute. He had his arm around you and we just couldn't bring ourselves to wake you." Beth smiled and blushed. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Oh well, what's done is done. Let's get ready for Christmas." Lily crossed to her bed to get changed, and Sam and Beth shared a smile behind her back.

"We're all good for the present tonight, right?"

"8 o'clock sharp, Room of Requirement."

"They'll love it."

"I hope so."

""

"So, did you get your present?"

"Nope, how about you?"

"Nothing. At least Potter woke up with his girl in his arms." Sirius threw a pillow across the room to James, who caught it with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Padfoot, What's this tucked in your pillow?" James asked, reaching into the pillow case and fumbling around.

"Sirius, have you been hiding dirty magazines in your bed again," Remus play-scolded, "I don't think Sam will be too happy with you."

"Oh, no, this is better," James had pulled a folded piece of parchment from the back of the pillow case. Unfolding it, he read, "'Dear Sirius, If you want your special Christmas surprise, meet me in the room of requirement at 8:00 on the dot. If you are late, no present. Love Sammy.' Aww isn't that just precious."

Sirius lunged for the note, but James was still just a bit taller than him, and able to hold it right out of his grasp. Remus instead reached back to his bed for his own pillow. "James, I've got one too! Room of Requirement, 8' o clock. Check your pillow."

James dropped Sirius's note and grabbed for his pillow. There he found an almost identical note in Lily's handwriting. "Well, isn't this interesting?"

"All of us getting our presents at the same time, this will be very interesting."

""

Eight o'clock loomed ever nearer, and the marauders we waiting nervously outside of the room of requirement.

"Well, this is my cue to leave." Peter waved at the other three marauders, and glanced back toward the door to the room of requirement, "Good luck." He laughed and headed away to a Christmas party that was being held somewhere in the dungeons.

"Okay, now." Remus said, looking at his watch. James stepped forward and pulled the door open. The boys stepped in to see a hall way, with three doors leading off. Each door had a name above it, and so they separated to receive their presents alone.

""

James stepped through his door to see the most beautiful sight in his life. It was like he had just come out to the side of the lake where he used to meet Lily as the stag, but it was a whole new dynamic. Snow coated the ground and the lake had frozen over beautifully. Sitting on the lake's edge was a small table set for two, and there was Lily, in the most beautiful light blue gown he had ever seen, her hair pulled up and twisted into the most elegant curls, with just a little bit of snow clinging to the top of her hair.

James walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her and smiled down at her. "Happy Christmas, Lily." He leaned down and kissed her softly on the nose. Lily smiled up at James, and he laughed a little as she blushed just a little bit. She stepped back and went to sit down at the little table, but James stepped over and pulled her chair out for her. After she sat down and he joined her at the other side, James looked at her across the table once more.

"Okay, I confess." Lily laughed, "Not only is this a Christmas present, but it's also a test to see just how much you remember from my lessons."

"And I am passing with flying colors so far, yes?"

"So far, yes."

"And if I pass the whole night, do a get a super special prize?" James smile got even wider.

"Oh, we'll see."

""

Sirius walked into his "room" and found himself instead in the middle of The Dark Forest, in a small dark clearing, where he had once told Sam he was an Animagus.

"Here boy, come on now, over here" Sam let out a low whistle to call Sirius over to her.

"Hahaha, oh so funny." Sirius said coming over to her.

"Be nice," Sam laughed, "Or you don't get your present." She pulled an elegantly wrapped box from behind her back. Sirius gave her his very best pity me, puppy dog face, until she handed him the box. He opened it, and pulled out a small black dog collar, with several small, white stones fused into it.

"Canis Major. Witty, witty girl." Sirius laughed and put the collar around his neck.

"I'm glad you like it, but that not all of your present."

"Oh?"

"Yes, but the other part of your present I can't really put in a box."

"Well, what is it then?"

"I was thinking…" Sam stepped onto her tiptoes to whisper into Sirius's ear.

"That's what you were thinking?" Sirius smiled at her when she had finished whispering.

"Yup."

"I see."

"Well, if you don't think it's a good idea…"

"No! Oh, I most definitely think it's a good idea!" Sirius pulled Sam into his arms and kissed her fiercely.

""

Remus walked into the room with his name over it and smiled as he emerged onto a balcony with the most beautiful view in all of England, and the most beautiful girl in on of England standing near the railing.

"Happy Christmas, Remus." Beth smiled over at Remus, dressed in the same sky blue dress robes she had worn to James's birthday party last year.

"Happy Christmas, Beth." Remus walked to the edge of the balcony right behind Beth and wrapped his arms around her, looking out over the mountains that were below them.

"Have you even noticed the best part of this whole scene?" Beth leaned her head back against Remus's shoulder so that she could look up at his face.

"No, tell me, what is the best part of this whole scene?"

"Look to the sky, Remus." Remus did ass he was told. When he looked up, he furrowed his eyebrows together, blinked a few times, looked down at Beth, and then looked to the sky once more.

"Beth? Is that…?"

"Yes, Remus, it's a full moon. I thought you might want to see one again after all these years." Remus picked Beth up and spun her around. Beth squealed with delight as her hair flew haphazardly of her shoulders. When Remus set her down again, he pulled her close and slipped a box into her hand. Beth looked down to see that it was a small white box with a little, red bow. When she opened the box, she saw the most beautiful, glittering, diamond ring she could ever imagine.

"Oh, Remus." She sighed as she slipped the ring onto her finger.

"I figured that since we are engaged, you should have what most other engaged woman have to show for it." Beth grabbed Remus around the neck and pulled him down to her eye level.

"You are…the best...fiancé… a girl… could ever… dream of…" She said, kissing him softly every few words.

"Werewolf and all?"

"Werewolf and all."

""

It was about one in the morning when all the three Marauders and the Ladies Fair finally made their way back to the common room after their Christmas treats. After wishing James a happy eighteenth birthday, Lily, Sam, and Beth quickly made their way up to their dormitory to discuss how their Christmas surprises went.

"I think it's safe to say that Beth had the best night." Lily commented, eyeing Beth's ring jealously.

"Oh, I don't know." Sam smiled.

"Why do you look so…guilty?" Beth asked cautiously.

"Oh, no reason, Sirius and I just had a good night, is all. A _really_ good night."

"Eww, Sam, keep it to your self." Lily threw a pillow at the smirking girl.

"What about you, Lily?" Beth questioned, pulling her notebook and pen from her bedside table. "What was your favorite part of this Christmas day?"

Lily's face turned red and she started to fold down the covers on her bed, "Oh, I guess the whole thing was grand, I really don't know if I can pick one particular moment."

"Spill, Evans. You have a favorite moment; I can tell by the way your face matches your hair. Talk to us." Sam came over and sat on the edge of Lily's bed. Beth joined Sam, and the two of them looked up at lily like eager little puppies.

Lily sighed and sat down as well, "Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to make fun of me." Both Beth and Sam put a pinky in the air, and Lily linked her pinky around the both of theirs. "My favorite part of Christmas, was waking up in James's arms."

Sam pressed her hand over her own mouth to prevent herself from saying something smart, but Beth Just smiled and flipped open her notebook.

"You two cannot tell a living soul, especially not James himself. Understood?"

"Why, of course, Lilikins. We would never dare reveal your deepest darkest secret." Sam started before she could stop herself, "And of course we would never, ever consider holding it about your head as a bargaining chip."

"Sam!" Beth exclaimed. She jumped of Lily's bed and attacked the offending girl with a pillow.

Lily, however, simply lay down, and desperately tried to recall what it felt like to be lying wrapped in James's arms.

And oddly enough, over in the boy's dormitory, James was lying on his bed, trying to recall what it felt like to have Lily resting her head on the side of his chest.

""

"Pettigrew!"

Peter slowly came forward. He was trying his hardest not to shake or flinch.

"Do you have what the Dark Lord requested of you, Peter Pettigrew?" Peter nodded and pulled a slip of parchment out from beneath his robes.

"Yes, very nice." Voldemort glanced over the parchment and smiled when he got to the bottom and saw what he chiefly requested. "The signature of James Potter. A signature can get you anything, or anyone. Happy Birthday, Potter."

**Beth's Notebook**

_Lily and James truly do make the cutest couple in Hogwarts. The flirting, the fighting, the lack of hesitation to insult each other, and the common knowledge that the other didn't mean it and they really do love each other. Remus and I may be engaged, but I would vote Lily and James most likely to grow old and die together…but maybe that's just me._

**I know I know, It's been forever since I last updated, but in an attempt to make it up to you all, I made this one of the longest chapters I have written in a good Looooooooooooooong while. Please Enjoy and reviews make me want to write quicker : ) : ) **


	29. Welcome Home

Lily woke up and everyone in her dorm had already gone down to breakfast. She made her way out of bed and over to the mirror to try and fix her hair before going down, but saw and envelope charmed to stick to the mirror. She pulled it off and pulled out a note

_Dearest Lily, Happy Birthday to me! All I want this year is for you to come to the far side of the lake so that the two of us can have a romantic day far away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the castle. Love, James Potter_

Lily read the letter smiled. She picked out clothes that she knew James loved on her, and darted into the bathroom.

""

"Well, I guess it's time to hit that Christmas break homework." James started to get up from the breakfast table, but Peter grabbed his arm and pulled him back down

"But James, you haven't even had any toast! It's your birthday after all! Relax." Peter smiled up at James

"No thanks, Wormtail, I think I'll just try and get that work out of the way." James tried to stand-up again, but Peter yanked him down once more, and glanced nervously toward the entrance hall.

"Seriously, just have some toast." Peter shoved a piece of toast in James's face. James looked at peter like he had grown a second head.

"Okay, if it means that much to you, I'll eat a piece of toast." James took the food from Peter's hand and took a bite. Peter smiled a sort of self-satisfied smile, but still nervously threw looks to the door. When James finished, he turned to Peter. "Can I go do my homework now?

Peter glanced toward the door and saw a blonde hair Slytherin slip inside the great hall. "Sure, go do your homework. What do I care?" Peter went back to his breakfast like nothing had happened. James looked to Sirius and Remus, who both looked confused and simply shrugged their shoulders, so James just shrugged back and made his way back up to the dormitory. When he got there, he realized just how little he actually wanted to do his homework on his birthday, so he decided to go for a bit of a jog instead. He kicked open his trunk and bent over to try and find his hat, when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up

"Don't move a muscle." James felt the point of a wand press into his back, and he stood straight up

"What is this?" He asked, "Who are you?

"This is a birthday present, Potter. You are going to want to come with me." James dropped the book he had picked up to search for his hat, and went down the stairs into the common room, led by forceful jabs in the back. As he crossed the common room, he looked around him, but no one else seemed to notice anything out of place. James assumed the man behind him was invisible, but he realized that this fact didn't make him and less dangerous. When the had sunk well into the dungeons of the castle, James felt the wand tip leave his back and a pair of hands replace it, grabbing the back of his robes and violently tossing him into one of the rooms of the main hallway.

James tried to stand up, but someone kicked him down again, so he simply looked up at the people surrounding him trying to get some bearing of what was going on around him.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, a happy eighteenth birthday to you." The tallest of the hooded men spoke up. "My friends and I would like to offer you a grand opportunity in lieu of a present."

"Oh, yes? What opportunity do you suppose is better than a new broomstick?" James asked from the floor.

"A chance to have power, a chance to rise above the ordinary and to become a helper to the most powerful man in the world, of course."

"Oh? I'm sorry, but I think I may have to pass on that. I rather like being an ordinary wizard."

"I'm sorry, Potter, perhaps I should've been clearer. I have a portkey here which you will place your finger on, and it will take us to a place where you can overcome the weakness of your blood-traitor parents and become one of the strongest men alive."

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll just waltz along with the man who murdered my parents and live happily ever after. I'm sorry; I thought you were a smart man, whatever made you think I would be okay with this." James finally managed to sit up enough that he was kneeling on the ground.

"I have a matter of persuasion. Avery, if you please." James turned to look as one of the hooded men to his side left the circle and returned with a bound and gagged red-head in his arms. James's mouth fell open, and he pondered for a moment what he should do. "Now, Potter, what do you have to say?

"Stealing the girlfriend? Honestly, "Almighty Dark One", that's like the oldest trick in the book. Shame you already killed my parents or they'd be bound up in here too, wouldn't they? No other Marauders, Beth, Sam? No? Just Lily? Okay then.

"Well, if you're not that shaken-up, I could just dispose of her now and get one of your precious 'Marauders'." Voldemort barely raised his wand a fraction of an inch, but James jumped to his feet

"No! No, where's the portkey?"

"Lestrange. Bring the portkey to Mr. Potter here. Avery, make sure the mudblood goes with him."

Lestrange brought forward a silver snake, which James reluctantly took hold of. Avery brought Lily forward and charmed the bonds and gag away. He forced her hand around the tail of the snake. Only a few seconds later, they both felt that odd tug behind their navels, and were sent crashing forward into each other, before landing in a massive pile of snow.

"Welcome home." A voice hissed behind them, and James stood up to see the wreckage of what was once the Potter Mansion.

**A/n: How much do you hate me?!?!?!?! Lol, Reviews make me type faster, I promise. **


	30. Chapter 30

**ATTN READERS: Yes, I have posted this chapter before...but I need you to read the A/N at the bottom of the page and either review or e-mail me about it...**

"Oh, James!" Lily grabbed onto James' arm. James couldn't say anything, the building was partially destroyed, but the back part was mostly intact, just burned and cracked. A family portrait from when James was ten was hanging haphazardly from one of the burnt walls, almost mocking him.

"You haven't been back here since they died have you?" That far too familiar hiss of a voice came from behind James.

"You Bastard." James whispered, as a tear ran down his face.

"Aw…tsk tsk. Potter, perhaps you and your girl should have some time alone to think over my proposition. And here's another factor for you, Mr. Potter. You join my ranks, and I'll leave your filthy mudblood alone, and you can even keep seeing her. You deny me, and the red-headed slut is the first to go. Avery, Lestrange, take them to their room." The two hooded men who came with them grabbed them from behind and led them back into the burnt part of the building. They led them up the old stairs and shoved them into a room.

"Don't try to escape." One of the men spoke up, "The room is charmed by the Dark Lord himself." They slammed the door shut behind them, and it made an odd squishing sound.

James looked around to see what room they were in, and even with the burnt furniture and the spell marks all over the walls, James recognized his own bedroom. He walked to where a picture of him and the marauders used to hang, though it had crashed onto the floor, the scene empty; its inhabitants appearing to have fled the scene.

"James?" Lily came up behind him and put her arm around his waist.

"Well, Lily, I have imagined bringing you to my bedroom before, but never in this situation." James turned around and kissed her forehead. "You're okay?"

"My wrists are a little sore from the binds, but otherwise I'm just fine. Are you okay?"

"No, I don't think I am and I don't think I will be until the both of us our safe in the Castle."

""

Beth watched the sunset out the window and started to wonder why something felt off. Something had been missing from her day and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. She hadn't seen James or Lily all day!

Beth turned and looked around the common room, and saw Sam and Sirius making out on the couch against the other wall. Beth ripped a sheet of paper out of the back of her notebook, balled it up, and pegged it right at Sam's head.

Sam jumped, and rubbed the spot where the ball hit her. She turned to see Beth gesturing to her and, and grudgingly dragged herself away from Sirius.

"Where is Remus?" Sam said the second she got over to where Beth was sitting, "Go fool around with him and leave me be."

"Have you seen Lily at all today?"

"It's her boyfriend's birthday. God only knows what they're doing."

"I haven't seen her or James at all. I'm starting to get a little panicked."

"Listen, Beth. I'm sorry your upset but until we have a sure fire clue that something fowl is up, I'm just gunna go back to snogging Sirius." Right as Sam finished talking; Remus came up behind Beth and put his hands around her waist.

"Hey, have either of you seen Lily or James? There was supposed to be a meeting with Professor Dumbledore about the new term, but neither of them showed. We had to reschedule." Sam's eyes grew wide, and Beth's narrowed in an 'I-told-you-so' fashion.

"No, we haven't seen James or Lily, but find Peter. We all need to go talk to Professor Dumbledore quickly."

""

Lily looked from the setting sun to James, then back to the window again. James had been pacing the room for a while now, simply ranting and raving about Voldemort, the Death Eaters, their situation, and pretty much anything else he could think of.

"He is such a Bastard!" James kicked the wall with an extreme amount of force, and a crack formed where his toe connected with the wall and ran up to the ceiling. He turned his back to the wall and slid down it until he was sitting with his knees curled up in front of him. Lily came up next to him and sat against the wall as well.

"I have to join him." He whispered.

"What? No! James, you can't!"

"I have to, Lily. He's already killed my parents, he's going to kill you, and he must really want me if he's not just killing me outright for saying no. I don't think he'll just let it go. He'll go after Remus, Sirius, Peter, Sam, and Beth…If it was just my life on the line I'd say no…but I can't let your blood be on my hands.

"James, let them kill me. Let them kill Remus, Sirius, Peter, Sam and Beth. Let them kill you. We'll all go on and have great big party in the afterlife. I would much rather my blood be on Voldemort's hands then the blood of innocent people be on your hands." Lily leaned over and rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. "You have a heart, don't abandon it."

James wrapped his arms around Lily and kissed the top of her head.

"I just can't lose you."

""

Albus Dumbledore was normally a calm person, on the inside and out, but when someone suggested that his head boy and girl have gone missing out from under his nose, he started to panic just a bit. He looked at the 5 students sitting across from him and sighed.

"The Last time we saw Lily, she was still asleep, but Sam and I were heading down to breakfast. We decided to let her sleep in a bit longer and we figured she would catch up with us later, but we didn't see her again." Beth supplied.

"And James, when last we saw him, was going up to the common room from breakfast to do some homework, but none of his books are missing from his trunk." Sirius provided.

"Thank you very much." Dumbledore folded his hands and looked at each of them in turn. "Several teachers are searching the building and I want the five of you to alert someone immediately if you figure out anything about where they are." Dumbledore gestured to the door, and everyone got up to leave, but Peter lagged behind.

"Yes, Mr. Pettigrew?" Dumbledore asked when everyone else had left.

"I've hear a rumor, Professor."

"Yes, what about?"

"About James, Professor." Peter nervously fidgeted with his robe, "A rumor that you-know-who was going to kidnap James and convince him to shed his blood-traitor past and declare his loyalty to you-know-who."

"Does this rumor say where he was going to take James?"

"No, sir, but I've been thinking. If You-know-who wants James to forget what his parents believed, wouldn't he take James to where they had to stop believing, to where they died?"

"Thank you, Mr. Pettigrew." Dumbledore stood up and began to leave the office.

"Um, sir?"

"Yes?" Dumbledore had a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Please, don't tell anyone I told. The man that I overheard the rumor from said that if I told me they would kill me."

"Yes, of course. I really must run now, Mr. Pettigrew…Show yourself out."

"Yes. Goodbye, Sir."

""

James kept his arms wrapped around Lily until she fell asleep against his chest. He assumed it was 8 or 9ish, and they had been under so much stress in the last few hours that he couldn't blame Lily for wanting a nap. He kissed the top of her head once before picking her up and laying her down on the bed. He started to walk away to look in his old desk when Lily stirred.

"James?" she whispered.

"I'm right here." He said, coming back over to the bed, and laying down next to her.

"You don't have to join him. We simply have to escape."

"We can't escape, Lily. He's a genius. Evil and demonic, but a genius none the less."

"James…All we need is one hint of something in our favor, and then we've got a fighting chance. All we need is that fighting chance."

James sighed, "How in the world are we going to get a fighting chance?"

Right then, screams emerged from downstairs.

**So So So So SO SO SO SO SO sorry!!!!!! **

Please forgive me…

A/N: ATTN READERS!!! I need to know your opinion...I am not a very good action writer, and action writing takes me a very long time to do...MY question is would you like a relativly quick update (Within 48 hours) with kinda crappy action scenes, or a slow update (7 days) with much better action scenes...Its up to you...Review or e-mail me at Kerrgrl1atyahoodotcom to lemme know whats up...

P.S. I own Harry Potter. And Peter came up with where James and Lily were taken all by himself. Sure…being the Dark Lord's Minion had absolutely nothing to do with it…nuh-uh….


	31. Chapter 31

**Just a warning…this is a fan fiction written by a girl who has watched far to many movies and has a bit of an addiction to happy endings…therefore there are moments where things just conveniently fall into place for the main characters…hehe**

Lily took James's hand and pulled him off the bed, "This could be our fighting chance!"

James looked at her as though she'd grown an extra head, "You're joking, right? It was just a scream. He's probably just killing some other innocent person right now. That could be us in a few moments."

Lily let go of his hand and slapped him across the face. "Snap out of it! You can't give up! You're a Marauder for goodness sake! Think like your trying to get out of detention or something. I know we can do this. We have to do this! It's the only way. And if we get caught so what! We died trying to save ourselves instead of giving up! If you give up you're losing the respect from everyone you know, not to mention giving Voldemort the satisfaction that he beat you. I'd rather die trying then giving up. Because giving up means we are giving him more power. He'll think he's won. Hell, he will have one because you wouldn't bother to try. For God's sake, James, get off your ass and think!"

By the time she was finished her face was as red as her hair, James was dumbfounded. She was right. He had given up all hope and given Voldemort the ego boost he needed to do whatever he wanted. His marauder brain kicked in and started working double time, as he heard a several more screams, and even a panicked voice yelling, "Quick, help fight them off!" He shut his eyes and imagined the layout of his house in his mind. If they got out of his room, then they could get into the closet at the end of the hall and pull out the back panel, take the stairs down into the tunnel that Sam and he had created linking their two houses when they were smaller. It would take some work to open the tunnel on the other end because Sam had put a bookshelf in front of the opening, but it would at least give them a place to hide for a little while.

"Okay, Lily, I have a way to get us out of the building if we can come up with a way to get us out of this room. You wouldn't happen to have your wand would you?"

"No…James, Voldemort is a bit smarter than that."

"Yeah…and mine is still up in the dormitory because I wasn't really given the chance to go pick it up while I was being kidnapped." James started to pace the room, but just than a loud scream came from right outside the room, and a spell sizzled on the other side of the wall. The wall apparently just seemed to have enough, and it finally cracked and started to fall. James and Lily scrabbled out of the way when the dust started to settle down, they saw Fabian Prewett grinning sheepishly in at them.

"Sorry about the wall James. I got a little enthusiastic about stunning these guys. Do you know another way out of the hall?" He gestured to where the hall leading to the stairs had also been caved in.

"Yeah, come on." James helped Lily climb out of his room and led them both into the coat closet. He shut the door tightly behind them and kicked the bottom of the back wall. The wall wiggled a bit, and James pushed it forward with all his weight, opening up a dirt tunnel gentle sloping down for a while. He stood back and let Lily and Fabian head into the tunnel before turning and pushing the wall back up and securely into place. "March on, everyone, it is a 10 minute walk to the other end."

""

Mad-Eye Moody looked at the seven death eaters they had tied up in what was once the living room of the Potter Mansion. The others had fled when it had become apparent that they weren't going to win. Voldemort himself seemed to have left the second that the team of Aurors had arrived on the sight. The rest of his team was searching the rest of the building, trying to locate James and Lily or any other Death Eaters they may have missed.

"Sir." A young Auror came up to him holding a wand, "This was found on one of the Death Eaters. Its not his wand, so were assuming it belongs to either Lily Evans or James Potter."

"Yes." Moody took the wand, "Thank you, Dawlish. Let me know if you find anything else of importance."

Moody spun the wand in his hands. This was proof that the children had been here. Now if they could only find them.

""

"One, Two, Three." James and Fabian threw all their weight against the wall on the opposite end of the tunnel, and they knocked into the room. Lily climbed out into Sam's Bedroom, and was quickly met with a wand point.

"Oh, Dear God. Lily, James, Don't scare me like that." Mrs. Sercose lowered her wand and helped James climb out of the tunnel. "Wait a minute, what are you two doing out of school? And who is this?" She gestured to Fabian.

"This is Fabian Prewett, he came to save us from where Lord Voldemort was holding us captive at my house, but I really don't have the time to explain it all now, so we need to get back to my house to find out what's going on and let everyone know we're okay." James explained quickly as he made his way out of the room and towards the front door.

"He-who-must-not-be-named? In your house? James, explain yourself." Mrs. Sercose followed James, but James offered no further explanation and just continued to walk quickly through the house, until he got to the street and broke into a flat out run, while Lily, Mrs. Sercose, and Fabian to struggled to keep up.

James burst into the front door of his house, causing everyone to jump a little bit.

Moody turned around and called for everyone to stop the search, before asking James to explain to him exactly what happened.

""

Beth wrapped her arms around herself and jumped up and down a little bit. When Dumbledore said that Lily and James had been found, Beth almost fainted in the relief that they were okay. But Dumbledore said they would have to stay in St. Mungos for a few days just to make sure. Now Beth, Sam, and the other Marauders were standing on the steps outside the castle waiting for James and Lily to come up the way.

"There they are!" Sirius called, pointing down the way. Everyone laughed, and started running out to meet them. When they caught up to them they stopped short of them, except for Peter.

Peter ran and caught James around the middle in a backbreaking hug. James looked wide-eyed at Lily, who was trying to hide her smile behind her hand.

"I'm so glad you're okay."

"There, There, I'm okay..." James awkwardly patted Peter on the back, and Lily burst out in laughter.

"So, What did we miss?" James asked once Peter had detached himself and they started the trek back up to the castle.

"Oh, you know, the normal stuff. Remus and Beth declared how much they hated each other and they can't wait to leave school so they never have to see each other again, Sam tried to hex me to dust, Snape and I have been parting all night long, and Peter melted another cauldron in potions." Sirius smiled.

"And the truth is?"

"Well, Peter did melt another cauldron. Other than it's been pretty average. Other than lots of panicking about you two and general trying to keep it under wraps so the entire student body doesn't panic." Remus sighed.

"By the way," Sam interjected, "There is a rumor that you are pregnant, Lily, and it is James's baby so you both pulled out of school to support it."

"Oh, well, isn't that grand?" Lily rolled her eyes, and James smirked.

"You know, Lilikins…"

"No, James."

"But I…"

"No."

"Well, what if…"

"No."

James wrinkled his nose and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Good to see nothing has changed between the two of you." Sirius laughed.

""

James and Lily walked hand in hand down the hallway towards Dumbledore's office. They knew it was only a matter of time since they would have to go explain to Dumbledore what had happened, but neither of them was particularly keen to relive it. However, when they made their way up the spiral staircase and sat down in Dumbledore's office, they were shocked to hear that Dumbledore didn't want a recollection of their kidnapping.

"Alastor told me everything you told him about your excursion out of school, but that is not what this is about. What I would like to know is if you two would be interesting in joining me?"

"Joining you, sir?"

"I have a group. An order, if you will, named the Order of the Phoenix. We are a secret group that tails Voldemort and his Death Eaters in an attempt to stop him from gaining anymore power. Now, we didn't really want to get any students involved, but it's apparent that they two of you have become targets."

Dumbledore paused while James snorted and murmured, "I'll say."

"Therefore, we held a meeting and agreed that the two of you should be offered a seat in the order."

"An Anti-Voldemort league? Cool! I'm in." James smiled and drummed a beat on the armrests of his chair, but Lily bit her lip, looking from James to Dumbledore and back to James again.

"Ms. Evans?" Dumbledore asked softly, and James turned to face her. Lily just bit her lip a little harder.

"Professor? May we have a minute or two?" James asked, starting to get out of his seat.

"Of course, Mr. Potter. Just yell when you are ready." Professor Dumbledore walked back through the door that lead to his quarters and James kneeled down in front of Lily's chair so that they were eye-level.

"Lily, what's wrong?"

"I'm scared, James?"

"Of what?"

"Of throwing myself in with this Order."

"Lily?"

"Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all for an 'Anti-Voldemort League.' It's just I was so scared when he took us, James! I want to minimize my chance of that ever happening again, and if I join this group it's almost certain that my death will be by his hands."

"Lily?"

"No, no. I'm just being silly. Don't give up, no ego boosts for evil overlords, right?" Lily gave James a weak smile.

James took Lily's hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "Listen, Lily, if you really don't feel safe about this, then don't do it. Maybe latter you'll feel better about it, I don't know, but just trust your gut."

Lily's weak smile grew a bit stronger. "Maybe I'll be more for it after we're out of school."

"Maybe." James stood up and kissed Lily on the forehead and called Professor Dumbledore back into the office.

"What's the decision?" Dumbledore settled himself back into his seat behind his desk.

"I'll be joining, but Lily won't be, not yet anyway."

"You understand that anything that James does with the order will be top secret. He won't be able to tell you about anything he's doing with the order."

"I understand that, yes." Lily nodded.

"Well, then okay. The offer is always open, Ms. Evans, if you reconsider. As for right now, I need to speak with Mr. Potter alone." Lily stood up, gave James a kiss, and headed out the door.

"Mr. Potter, you understand what this means? Obviously, for the next 6 months while you are still in school you will not be able to do much, but once school is out, you'll have some daunting tasks before you. Lord Voldemort is stopping at nothing to achieve his ends, so we must stop at nothing to prevent him from succeeding."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, then, any questions?"

"Yes, sir." James looked Dumbledore in the eye and said, "Would it be possible to have Remus, Sirius, and Peter join the order as well? The four of us are a team, and I think it would be in the Order's best interest to have us all."

"And what, Mr. Potter, makes you feel that you know the Order's best interest?"

"I'm simply suggesting that four marauders work best when there is all four of them. You'll be amazed what we all can do when we work together."

"Well…yes. I will think on it and get back to you, James. As for now, Dinner awaits us both."

""

Lily looked around the common room. Sam was chewing on the end of her quill, trying to finish her transfiguration homework. Beth and Remus were sitting cheek to cheek, reading a comedy and laughing together. Sirius had fallen asleep in an armchair with his mouth hanging open, and Peter was sitting in the armchair directly across from Sirius, trying to throw things into his mouth. Lily laughed and turned to look for James, only to find him looking at her. She watched his cheeks grow faintly red in a blush. She smiled at him and he smiled back. She thought about how he held her while she slept at his house, how he insisted that the Healers bring her tea exactly the way she liked it at St. Mungos, and the way he held her hand and told her it was okay to turn down the offer to join the Order. Lily bit the corner of her lip, and James cocked his head to the side as if to ask, _what's wrong?_

_I love you_. Lily mouthed across the common room.

_I love you, too._ James mouthed back.

Lily bit her lip just a little bit harder and looked down to the ground for a minute. When she looked back up, James was still looking at her, looking slightly worried.

_Tonight._ She mouthed to him. He furrowed his eyebrows together briefly, before his face broke into a look of shocked surprise.

_Tonight?_ He mouthed back. Lily nodded. _You sure?_ He mouthed again. Lily nodded once more and tilted her head towards the portrait hole. James nodded, and leaned over to Peter and whispered something to him. Lily leaned over to Beth and said, "I'll be out late tonight. Don't bother to wait up." Beth nodded and flipped back to her story. Lily stood up and left the common room, closely followed by James.

""

**Haha. The Longest Chapter I have written yet! Okay, so it really wasn't that good, but still…Not bad for a girl who had a month or so worth of Writer's block. Anyway…Everyone send LOVE to little Becca (My Down the street neighbor) because she basically wrote out the beginning of this for me since I was so stuck. Anyway…**

On a random side-note: A have a LJ at rebekahek623DOTlivejournalDOTcom (Replace DOT with . obviously) and I'm gunna start updating that more frequently so you can know when new chapters are going to go up, and maybe I'll even post some sneak peaks over there. Write now, I've got a Poll up so please, check it out….

Reviewsgood  
Bekah


	32. Chapter 32

Time passed by, and things began to settle back into a normal routine. Well…Not a Normal routine, but a marauder routine at any rate. N.E.W.T.s were fast approaching, and studying became a main part of everyone's life. But with more and more reports coming in about Lord Voldemort and his ranks, each and every one of them made sure to take some time and just relax with the ones they loved. None of them would say it out loud, but all of them were wondering just how much time they had left as a group before someone became the immediate target of this war.

James and Lily were sitting together on the couch, much like they did every day during their hour-long break from classes. Lily was reading her novel aloud to James; knowing full well that he wasn't really listening to a word she said, but simply listening to the sound of her voice. James looked over his shoulder, and just barely nodded to Remus and Sirius. Nodding back, they stood and began to quietly clear the common room. When the common room was empty, they mock-saluted James, then disappeared through the portrait hole as well. James coughed and built up his nerve.

"Um, Lily?" He said weakly.

Lily closed the book and looked over at him, "Yes, James?"

James got a slight boost of confidence when he looked into Lily's eyes. "Um…I've been thinking a lot about our relationship. You know I worked really hard to make this whole thing happen."

"I'll say…" Lily laughed, but James put his hand up to stop her, knowing if he didn't say it soon, he would loose the nerve altogether.

"Yes, well, I've been thinking about whether or not it was worth it."

"And is it?" Lily asked, beginning to get a little nervous.

"No…" James paused before sliding off the couch and onto one knee, "Unless I do this." He pulled from his pocket the most beautiful ring Lily had ever seen. Three small emerald green stones were set in against three small diamonds and three golden frames, on an elegant gold band. "Would you do me the honour of being my wife?" Lily just sat there for a second before she reacted.

"Oof!" James said as the couch pillow came in contact with his head. When he sat up, Lily had already left. He looked around the room for his ring, but the warning bell rang before he could properly look, so he grabbed his bag and sprinted to the transfiguration classroom. Sighing, he sat down in his usual seat directly behind Lily right as the bell rang. He tried to ignore the things he usually noticed about her. He tried to ignore her ponytail swinging as her hand shot into the air, the smell of strawberries from her shampoo, and the glint of his ring as the sunlight hit her hand. James mentally took a step back. His Ring!

"Lily!" James jumped out of his seat and pulled her up into a great bear hug.

"Yes…James, yes." Lily smiled.

"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall called across the classroom. "Now, I know you are an eighteen-year-old boy, but please do try and keep your hormones under-control until after class!"

"Yes, Professor. Sorry, Professor." James smiled and sat down as Lily slid a note onto his desk.

_That's what you get for making me think we were going to break up. –Future Mrs. Potter_

_Yeah, sorry about that, but we need to talk about this Mrs. Potter thing. What if I wanted to be Mr. Evans?_

_Then this ring could quickly find its way up your nose._

_Yeah, yeah. I love you too. _

**A/N: I am so sorry that I haven't updated in ages, and I'm sorry this is so short, but it is just to hold you over until I post Chapter 33, which will be the finally Chapter of _A Delayed Reaction_. Don't worry though. The sequel is already in the works. It will be titled _An Interesting Reaction_, and it covers everything from where _ADR_ leaves off to that tragic Halloween night. Anyway, I'm off to work on my last chapter. While I'm doing that, you all should be thinking about your favorite part of _ADR_ because I'm going to want to know after my next post.**

ReviewsHappiness

**HappinessFaster Updates.**

**Bekah  
**


	33. The End

News of James and Lily's engagement spread rapidly, but didn't shock anyone in the slightest. The only people it seemed to have a profound effect on were Beth and Remus, who hurriedly started to plan their own wedding, determined to beat Lily and James to the punch.

Beth tapped her foot impatiently and looked across the library table to Remus. "Do I have to?" Remus pleaded.

"Yes. You are not allowed to have three best men. Pick one." Remus looked back down at his pro and con lists.

"Okay, here's the thing. If I pick James, then Sirius would create mayhem at the wedding, if I pick Sirius, James will create mayhem, and if I pick Peter, then both James and Sirius will make our wedding torture."

"Pick one. I'm choosing between Lily and Sam, you must choose from the marauders."

"Well, are you picking Lily or Sam?"

"Why?"

"Cause then I'll pick the male equivalent so that in the wedding party then can walk arm in arm."

"Remus, Remus, Always looking for the easy way out."

"No, not always, just right this very moment."

"Well, if I tell you who my maid of honor is going to be, what do I get out of it?"

"A calm and peaceful wedding, a happy husband-to-be, a honeymoon where we don't have to worry about our poor friends and/or family who were forced into the hospital by a shunned friends prank…"

"Okay, Okay! I get it."

""

"We are obviously the only sane ones left." Sam smiled as she threw Sirius the Quaffle and flew down to the ground. "You, Me, and Peter. What's the point in Marriage at this point anyway?"

"I know. We're just getting freedom. Free of school, free of our parents, free of everything. Why would we want to immediately tie ourselves down again?"

"Exactly! No offense to you of course, but I'm just ready to be myself without outside influences for a while."

"I know what you're saying. Besides, once a man gets married, he's lost to his wife. Everything that he says or does is entirely about her, and his poor single friends are left out to dry. I'm so glad that I am not so entirely whipped."

"Hear, Hear." The walked the rest of the way to the changing rooms in silence. When they stopped there, Sam looked at Sirius, with a weird kind of smile. "Want to go play in the forest?"

"Not really, I'm kinda tired Sam."

"Please, Sirius…for _me_"

"I suppose then, if you want to. Let me just put our brooms away."

"Not entirely whipped my ass." Sam laughed.

""

Lily sighed and snuggled a little bit closer to James. "Stupid N.E.W.T.s, stupid studying…" She mumbled, near sleep.

"I know, I know." James whispered, and kissed her on the top of the head.

"Let's run away, James, and happy skip away from Tests and studying and work and all that evil, evil stuff." Lily turned her head so that her face was half squished against James's chest.

"Seriously? I can make that happen if you really want. I would have no issue at all running away from Tests and Studying and work."

"No, James, Not Seriously." Lily laughed into his chest, "But thank you for offering. Right now, though, I think I just want to go to sleep." Lily pulled herself up off his chest and rested her head on his shoulder again. "Nighty-night James."

"Goodnight, Lily."

""

Peter let his head hang backwards over the edge of his bed. He hadn't been called to a meeting in ages. Not since he handed over James's handwriting. Peter had been panicking recently. Did they know he hadn't tipped off Dumbledore to James's and Lily's location? Was he being expelled from the group? Were they plotting his death right now? Peter didn't know…and felt that he probably didn't really want to find out.

""

"Okay…" Remus shuffled his lists again, and began to read off the top sheet. "Bridal Party: Maid of Honor, Lily Evans, Bridesmaids Sam Sercose, Margie Ashford. Best Man, James Potter, Groomsmen: Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew." Remus paused and Beth nodded from him to continue. "In order to appease Sirius for his lack of Best man-ness, we are offering our first born son to be named for him in the hopes that this will deter him from causing mass chaos at the reception." Beth laughed and nodded again. She picked up her own piece of parchment and also read aloud.

"The wedding itself will take place on June 30th. It will be held in the little church on the hill by my house, because my mom has connections there so we don't have to pay a thing. The reception is in my mother's backyard, because that's the way my mom is, and there is the added bonus of that crazy garden to disappear into and…" Remus coughed a little to disguise Beth's next few words, but then smiled up at his bride to be.

"I'm bored of this. Wedding talk can only entertain me for so long." Remus sighed

"Oh? Then what do you suggest we do?" Beth sighed.

"Practice for the wedding night?" Remus suggested off-hand.

Beth rolled her eyes. "What happened to my little Remus Lupin, the great prude?"

"He got engaged." Remus said before taking a laughing Beth by the hand and dragging her out of the library.

""

"Sirius! No! Down boy!" Sam laughed as Padfoot chased her through the forest nipping at her heels. She stopped in front of a giant tree and turned around. Padfoot jumped up, his paws on her shoulders licking her neck and face.

Seconds later, he was human again, pinning her to the tree, kissing up her neck.

"Sirius?"

"Hmm."

"Do you love me?"

"What?" Sirius took a step back and looked at Sam. She blushed.

"I know its kind of a silly question, but you've never actually straight up said, 'I love you' and we've been dating almost a year." Sam dug her toe into the ground and couldn't look up at Sirius.

"I haven't. Hmm." Sirius stopped to think for a moment, "Wow. I guess I haven't."

"So…" Sam muttered.

"Oh! Yes, Of course I love you Sam. You are the best woman on the face of the planet and…"

"Okay, the 'I love you' was enough."

""

James knew he should get up. His first N.E.W.T. was tomorrow and he just had one more section of notes to review to be ready. It would be nothing.

But Lily was sleeping just so peacefully on his shoulder.

""

The next week N.E.W.T.s were done! Finally they were free! That night, The Marauders threw a party like no other party they had ever thrown. They were officially done with all they could do. Their scores would come in the summer, but otherwise, they were done with school. It was a bittersweet thought for the entire Gryffindor house. They were excited because the Marauders were finally leaving! That meant no more worrying about enchanted mistletoe at Christmas, or random gooey experiments left hidden somewhere in the common room, or any other pranks they could possibly think of. But everyone was sad at the same time, because the Marauders were actually leaving. No more pudding in the shoes of the Slytherins, no more constant streams of snow falling on the heads of the Slytherins as they walked and no more 'Snape Smells' Banners hung in random corridors, none of it. It was a sign of just how big a moment this was that a firewhiskey bottle was passed from person to person right in front of Lily Evans, and she turned her head the other way and pretended not to notice it was there.

Every few minutes, a toast was raised to an old prank, or to the inspiration of a new prankster in one of the younger years. Then, someone raised a glass to Lily and Beth, the only two women crazy enough to consider marrying a marauder, and the entire room erupted into cheers. Lily and Beth found themselves forced onto a table, awkwardly smiling as the entire room toasted to them. They pulled Remus and James up as well after the first toast, and soon the whole room was chanting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Because the marauders are who they are, (and because James had had more than one glass of firewhiskey that night), James grabbed Remus by the waist and dipped him in a big theatrical kiss. The crowd erupted in cheers again, but then cut short as they realized that this wasn't the kiss they were looking for. Remus tore himself out of James' hands and kissed Beth fiercely, to make up for the fact that he had just been kissed by a man. Lily laughed and a kissed a slightly confused James as well. The cheering rose up again, and a second toast went up, this time begging for pity on the poor girls' sanity.

Just then, Sirius and Sam managed to get their gramophone to work properly, and a slow tune about one last day with their love began to play. Remus mock bowed to Beth, who curtseyed, and then move in close to Remus. She looked up into his eyes, and noted for the first time just how brown his eyes were. They turned slowly, and soon Beth could look right past Remus head to a growing moon. Beth had been so swept up in N.E.W.T.s and wedding plans that she had forgotten how close it was to the full moon. Remus must be in some pain, she thought, he always was at this point in the month, but yet, he stood up on this table dancing to a ridiculous song with wolf whistles and toasts to them every few seconds.

"Let's get married." Beth whispered up to him.

"We are, Beth, we will."

"No, Remus. Let's get married now." Remus stopped dancing and the two of them stood very still.

"Now, as in right this second?"

"Well, as in within the next few hours. We'd need to find to legally wed us, and we should probably give James a bit of time to sober up. But all in all, before the night is over."

Remus wanted to hate Beth's quick ability to logically think things like this through, but at this moment he couldn't help but love it. "You get Lily and James out, to the Honeydukes passage way, and I'll track down Sirius, Sam and Peter. We'll meet just inside the passageway in twenty minutes." Beth nodded and turned to leave, but Remus pulled her back and kissed her once more. "I love you, Elizabeth Anne."

"I love you, too, Remus John."

""

After much struggling and pushing, a few sober up charms, and a mad search for a little church that would have an elopement wedding in the middle of the night, Remus, Sirius, James, and Peter were all waiting at the front of the church while Lily and Sam tried to make the best of the last minute wedding plans and Beth's current clothes.

"Sit still." Lily commanded, putting what curl she could in Beth's stubbornly straight hair. Sam had just finished applying Beth's blush and was about to start on lipstick, but Beth just couldn't stay calm.

"Sit still? Honestly. In less than an hour I will be Elizabeth Anne Lupin, and you want me to sit still?"

Sam threw her hands in the air. "Fine. I give up. You just won't have any lipstick." Sam groaned in mock frustration, and Lily finally put down the curling iron and put one finally pin in the back of Beth's hair.

They turned Beth around too look at herself in the mirror. She smiled and asked, "What do you two think?"

"I think you look like a bride." Sam smiled, and they got ready to go into the chapel.

As for the marauder's themselves, they all were reacting to this wedding in a different way. Remus was pacing back and forth across the front of the church; James was sitting with his head between his knees trying to make sure he wouldn't be sick during the actual ceremony; Sirius was leaned up against a wall, happy because Moony would be happy, but heartbroken that with this wedding it would officially no longer be "The Marauders"; and Peter was laying across one of the front pews wondering how long this would take and whether or not he would get a decent nights sleep before boarding the train the next day.

But when the music started to play, they all reacted the same way. They turned their heads to the back of the room, and then feel into their respective spots at the front of the church. Lily and Sam came in at the same time, walking slowly, but looking as if they wanted to run to the front so that they could get on with the wedding. But they eventually reached the front, the music changed, and Beth entered the room. Even James, Sirius, and Peter were taken aback by the beauty of Beth when she entered the room. They were clueless as to what made Beth so extraordinary at this very moment, but Remus knew. Beth was a bride, ready to marry the man she loved with her whole heart, and that there was enough to make even the most common girl seem like a hidden beauty.

""

The service itself was short and rather plain, but that didn't matter to anyone. After it was over and Beth and Remus had filled out all the paperwork, they all found a beautiful vantage point in a park to watch as the sun started to rise. They had spent the last twenty minutes going around reminiscing about their years at Hogwarts and the whole relationship of Remus and Beth.

"Okay, okay, I've got a story." Sirius sat up straighter, "Beth, would you like to know how Peter, James and Myself learned that Remus here had a bit of a thing for you?" Remus groaned, and hid his face in his hands, but Beth sat up, eager to hear the story. "Okay, well. When Remus falls into an extremely deep sleep, he tends to talk in his sleep. It only happens every so often, but when it did, James and I where always there to record the dirt and find a way to use it against him. One fine night in the middle of fourth year, James shook me awake to hear the wonderful tones of our own Mr. Lupin. We snuck over to his bed just in time to hear him call out, 'Beth, Dear, that's not necessary.' Of course, being the evil children that we are, James whispered, 'what's not necessary, Remus?' To which Remus responded, 'You don't need to lock the bedroom door. It's our house; no one will walk in on us.' Unfortunately, at that point, the first rays of sunlight leaked in through the window, and James and I had to make a dash for our beds before he woke up and caught us listening to him again. However, this didn't prevent us from holding it against our poor little fourteen year old friend. Indeed it did not."

Beth could help but to laugh, but as an act of kindness, she leaned over and kissed one of Remus' blushing cheeks.

"Well, I think we win." Lily smiled, "Beth made the slip of her life telling us that she had a thing for Lupin." Sam narrowed her eyes, trying to recall how they had learned Beth liked Remus. It had been so long since they knew that it seemed second nature that the two of them should be together. Then it dawned on her, and she started to laugh.

"Oh, yeah! That was the story thing wasn't."

Lily nodded and went on, "Beth had approached us asking about a "Daniel" and a "Sally" in her story, and asked us what we thought "Sally" should do since she kind of liked "Daniel" but wasn't sure about it. We were asking questions about the exact details of "Daniel" and "Sally's" situation so that we could help her come up with a good idea, but Beth slipped up and said Remus instead of "Daniel". Sam and I were shocked, especially because Beth didn't seem to be aware that she had slipped up. In fact, it wasn't until later that night that she realized, and she came charging at us and made us swear to the high heavens that we wouldn't tell a living soul."

"Oh guys, look! The sun is almost all the way up!" Peter pointed to the horizon where the sun was indeed close to finishing its rise.

"A toast! To Seven years of Hogwarts!" Sirius called.

"To All Six times that someone was set on fire!" James laughed.

"To the Five times Lily actually slapped James." Sam yelled.

"To the Four boys who will always be more trouble then they are worth." Lily chuckled.

"To the three times Sirius almost got stuck as a dog." Peter snorted.

"To the two becoming one." Beth and Remus called out together.

"To one last day as students, before we have to face the real world." Sirius added softly.

Seven glasses all clinked together just as the sun climbed above the horizon.

**A/N: Well, there you have it… The end of A Delayed Reaction! What a Time, huh? Because you all love me, I know you're going to want to answer these pretty questions for me. Please, let me know: What was your Favorite Quote in the story? Who was your favorite character? And what was your favorite overall scene?**

**Anyway…for those of you who wish to know, the Sequel will go up sometime in the near future. **

**Title **

**An Interesting Reaction**

**Summary**

**I knew going into this that James would have an interesting reaction to getting married, but I didn't expect Sirius's reaction. No, I will not 'give him back'! **

**Until then, Peace out,**

**Bekah!**


	34. Preview of An Interesting Reaction

**Okay Guys! An Interesting Reaction has been Posted!!! Here's the beginning of the first chapter...  
**

Beth looked over the living room for the umpteenth time that day to see if anything was out of place. Nothing was, of course, because she was the only one home. It was just as perfect as it had been when she fixed it this morning. She paced back into the kitchen, and saw that everything was as it should be in there too. Beth's hands ran through her hair. It had been three months since the day of her wedding, and since they all gone their separate ways off that train home, the seven of them hadn't all been together at the same time. Lily and James had been planning their wedding and working, Peter had been disappearing for weeks at a time without explanation, Sirius had bought this ridiculous magical motorbike and was taking Sam on spastic trips every few days, and Remus and Beth had a honeymoon to go on, and a flat to buy.

**If you want to see the rest, check it out!! It's posted under the same pen name and everything...**

See you over there!!

Bekah  



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